If I Fell in Love with You
by jellykitty
Summary: Tonks joins the Order of the Phoenix, hoping to fight You-Know-Who. Instead, she finds love in the form of an impoverished werewolf.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Yes, everyone, another story. I decided to try my hand at a Tonks/Remus fic. The worst part of this was figuring out a title. And I know the description doesn't offer much, but I hope someone decides to give it a try anyways. Hope you like it.

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Tonks sat in her living room, going over some paperwork for her job at the Ministry as an Auror, listening to music. Her left leg was crossed over her right as she leaned back into her couch, her foot bobbing along to an energetic song by her favorite band, The Weird Sisters. The music was so loud that it took several tries for the person standing outside her front door to catch her attention. Knocking hadn't worked, so they resorted to banging on the door very forcefully. Tonks was pulled from her thoughts and jumped slightly, sending a few papers flying. Getting up from her couch, she straightened her white tank top down to the waist band of her pale blue pajama pants, swept a very springy curl of bright green hair out of her face, and answered the door.

"I'm surprised you can hear anything over that bloody racket!" mused one of her coworkers, a very tall Auror by the name of Kingsley Shacklebolt. Tonks stared blankly at her colleague, having only heard about every other word he said. Kingsley rolled his eyes and yelled in his deep, booming voice, "THE MUSIC!" Tonks raised her eyebrows and mouthed (at least she appeared to have mouthed as Kingsley couldn't hear a thing) a silent "Oh", held up a finger and ran back into her living room, turning off the music. The living room and the street around Tonks' flat fell immediately silent, though there was a faint ringing in both Auror's ears.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked Kingsley. He grinned at her and shook his head.

"It wasn't important. I do have something rather pressing to speak to you about, however." He said, glancing over her shoulder, waiting for an invitation into her small home. Tonks stepped aside to allow him entrance and closed the door with a soft click behind him.

"Would you like anything? Tea, maybe?" she offered. Kingsley shook his head.

"No thank you, Nymphadora." Tonks glared at him momentarily, but allowed the use of her first name to go as he grinned at her again, knowing it would annoy her. "I'm here on non-Ministry matters. I assume you've heard of Albus Dumbledore's claims in recent days?" Kingsley asked. Tonks new he was referring to Dumbledore's insistence that a certain Dark wizard by the name of Lord Voldemort had returned to power. She nodded, and turned to gather up her various piles of paperwork and sat back down on the couch.

"I've heard. Honestly, and this doesn't go beyond this room, Kingsley, I think the Ministry needs to be taking him more seriously." Tonks responded candidly. Kingsley smiled.

"I hoped you would say that. It's my belief, and the belief of many others, that the Ministry is taking the wrong course of action. There was a group, back during You-Know-Who's first reign, that worked to fight against him and his followers. Have you heard of them? " he asked. Tonks shook her head, but remained silent, allowing Kingsley to continue. "Dumbledore himself started the group, calling it the Order of the Phoenix, and has reinstated the group now that he believes He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is once again a threat." Tonks nodded slowly, staring at Kingsley. There was a moment of silence before Tonks spoke.

"What's this got to do with me?" she asked.

"I'm glad you asked. The original Order lost quite a few of its members. As a result, the new Order is down in numbers and Dumbledore is looking for new recruits. Do you remember Alastor Moody?" he asked. Tonks snorted, of course she remembered Moody. Mad-Eye, as he was more commonly known, was an ex-Auror who had gone a bit paranoid in his later years. Tonks, on several occasions, had taken part in saving the disgruntled Mad-Eye from invisible invaders in her few years at the Ministry. Kingsley noted her reaction and continued. "He was part of the original Order and came to see me a few weeks back about joining. I accepted and was asked to recruit as many suitable members as I could." Tonks was beginning to see where this was going.

"You want me to join?" she asked. Her heart was beginning to thunder madly. It was very rare that someone thought of her specifically as a suitable member for anything other than entertainment at an office party.

"I think that you'd be a great asset to our cause. And you obviously agree with Dumbledore." Tonks began to nod her head vigorously. Kingsley held up a hand. "Before you say yes, Tonks, I have to warn you. The work we will be doing is quite dangerous. As I said, many members of the first Order of the Phoenix were killed, tortured to insanity, or disappeared without a trace." Kingsley couldn't be sure if Tonks wasn't listening or if she was truly excited about the dangers involved.

"I'll do it! I'm in! This is bloody brilliant! Ever since Dumbledore announced You-Know-Who's return I wanted to do something about it!" Tonks was now on her feet, pacing around her living room.

"Of course this means that you'll have to be entirely loyal to Dumbledore and fighting for the Order. You may be asked to perform tasks that go directly against the Ministry and we must be sure that you will not sabotage the mission for the sake of your job as an Auror. Also, secrecy is of the utmost importance. If you see any members at the Ministry or on the street, you must act as you always would towards them." Tonks was nodding her head. She had now stopped pacing and was standing opposite Kingsley, her brow furrowed with determination.

"You have my word, Kingsley. Dumbledore has my word." Kingsley grinned as he watched Tonks' hair change from the springy green locks they had been to short and fiery red. Tonks was a Metamorphmagus and could change her appearance at will. Over the years Kingsley noticed that her eyes and hair tended to change with her mood. He'd seen the fiery red look on her a few times before, usually when she was either very mad or very determined. He clapped his hands together with a broad grin.

"Fantastic! Our first meeting will be tomorrow evening. I will have to escort you; headquarters are under very heavy protection. I will meet you here at five o'clock tomorrow evening and we will Apparate to our location." Tonks beamed at Kingsley. She nodded her understanding and the two said their good-nights. After seeing Kingsley to the door, Tonks turned and began doing a little victory dance around her apartment for a moment before promptly tripping over her slipper and falling flat on her face.

The next day at work had been uneventful, yet interesting all the same. She now became far more aware of Kingsley's presence around the office. She had kept true to her promise and rarely acknowledged his presence beyond their normal greetings and small conversations. When their shifts were finally over, they said their good-nights to each other and the rest of the office as they always did, and left their separate ways as usual. All of this normality would have normally bored Tonks to death; however the knowledge of a secret meeting in a secret place for a secret group known as the Order of the Phoenix made the common pleasantries quite amusing.

She Apparated on the doorstep of her small flat, wondering if it was even worth unlocking the door and going in as Kingsley was due to arrive in less than five minutes. Her unspoken question was answered when Kingsley Apparated right beside her.

"Ready for your first meeting?" he asked. Tonks nodded. There were butterflies in her stomach all of a sudden. From what Kingsley had told her, the Order was no laughing matter, and Tonks wondered vaguely if she were up to the challenge. "Take my arm." He said. Tonks took a firm hold of Kingsley's forearm. The two turned on the spot and Disapparated from Tonks' home. They reappeared in the middle of a deserted street. The sidewalk in front of them was pilled high with garbage bags from the homes behind it. The street was very dark as several of the street lamps were not lit. It appeared to be a normal, although rather shady, muggle street and Tonks wondered how this could possibly be suitable for Order Headquarters.

"Read this and memorize it. Once you do, you will be able to find Headquarters on your own." Kingsley said as he handed Tonks a small slip of paper. Tonks read what was written in small, slanting handwriting. _Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. _Suddenly, Tonks heard a low rumbling. Between what Tonks had believed to be the mis-numbered houses of numbers eleven and thirteen appeared a third home. It seemed as though it were growing straight out of the ground, shoving the surrounding houses to the side. Tonks could make out faint images of Muggles in the houses being moved aside and none seemed to have noticed the change in location.

Number Twelve Grimmauld Place was just as dingy and unwelcoming as the rest. It seemed as though no one had occupied the house in several years. Shutters were hanging off the hinges, and the dark grey stone seemed to be turning black. Not to mention the overgrowth of weeds and plants on the front lawn. She felt Kingsley move past her and towards the unwelcoming house. She followed close behind him up to the front door step. Kingsley pulled out his wand and tapped the front door lightly. Tonks heard the soft clicking noise of locks opening from the inside of the door.

"Before we go in, I have to warn you to be extremely quiet." Kingsley said. Tonks nodded and Kingsley pushed the door open. The front hall was dark and cold. The only light came from a few dusty, old, wall lights emitting a soft yellowish glow into the hall. All along the walls were portraits of sleeping witches and wizards and directly to her left was a larger portrait covered by a dusty, moth eaten curtain. Tonks had never set much store by cleaning, but she felt that this place was a bit excessive. There footsteps were muffled by the dust covered carpet beneath their feet that emitted a cloud of filth around their ankles as they walked.

Kingsley led Tonks to the end of the long hallway, through a door, and down a flight of stairs. When they passed through the door at the bottom of the stairs, Tonks found herself in a dark kitchen with a large, heavy, wooden table. Sitting at the table, his back to the two Aurors, was a man with shoulder length, black hair wearing grubby black robes.

"Evening, Black." Kingsley addressed the man. He turned around in his chair to look back at Tonks and Kingsley. Tonks' stomach jumped into her throat as she realized that she was standing in the same room with the notorious killer Sirius Black. He was slightly less frightening than he had appeared in pictures after his escape from Azkaban. Though his eyes were still rather vacant and emotionless, they lacked the gaunt, sunken in appearance they had in his photographs. His face, though still pale and rather thin, looked slightly healthier than it had. Tonks was torn between greeting Sirius as Kingsley had and pulling out her wand and hexing him back to Azkaban. Sirius grinned, obviously sensing this tension as Tonks kept shooting furtive glances at Kingsley to see what he was going to do, as he was the lead Auror on Sirius's case.

"Hello, Kingsley. This must be my cousin." he said cheerily. His voice matched his appearance. Though Tonks was sure he meant to sound cheerful and welcoming, there was still a sort of deadness to it.

"Erm…Hi…?" she answered, still not sure how to react.

"I suppose you are trying to decide whether or not to arrest me." Sirius asked, now sounding amused. Tonks nodded hesitantly. Kingsley laughed.

"Black's innocent, Tonks. He was framed by Peter Pettigrew." Tonks still wasn't sure she was completely sane, but remembered what Kingsley had said about complete loyalty and decided not to argue.

"Tonks? I thought your name was Nympha-" Sirius started to ask. Tonks held up her hand, looking as though she were trying very hard to keep calm.

"No one calls me Nymphadora, Sirius. Call me Tonks." she said. Sirius nodded, grinning.

"Don't worry, I'd have people call me Tonks too." Sirius said.

"And yet you chose Padfoot." Came a male voice from behind Tonks. She turned around and saw a man standing behind her. Though she could tell he was still rather young, the man's face was lined and his light brown hair was flecked with grey. "Hello, Kingsley. This must be the woman you were telling us about." he smiled at Tonks

"Evening, Remus. Yes, this is Tonks. Tonks, this is Remus Lupin." Tonks gave Remus a small wave and smile. Sirius snorted.

"Tonks, I believe Professor Lupin was trying to get to the kitchen." he said casually. Tonks blushed slightly and stepped away from the stairs.

"Of course. Sorry about that." she said sheepishly. Remus smiled warmly at her and stepped into the kitchen, placing the papers he was carrying on the table and sat down. Kingsley gestured Tonks toward the table, taking a seat himself. Tonks sat down one chair away from Sirius, across from Remus.

"So Sirius tells us you're his cousin?" Remus asked conversationally. Tonks nodded.

"Yeah. Well, my mum's his cousin, so I guess that makes me his cousin. Maybe we're second cousins…I've never been able to figure that out!" Remus gave a small laugh.

"We'll just stick with cousins, Tonks." Sirius said with a small laugh. There was a moment of silence before there was a loud noise coming down the stairs.

"Ron, give it back!" a young girl shouted. Two bright red haired children came thundering down the stairs and into the kitchen. The boy, Ron, was holding a wand, just out of reach of the young girl who had been shouting.

"Are you going to hex me again?" he asked. The girl grinned, putting her hands on her hips.

"Don't be angry just because I can do a better Bat Bogey Hex than you." Ron flushed slightly around the ears.

"Would you two keep your voices down! You don't want a repeat of yesterday, do you?" came a rather stern female voice from halfway down the stairs.

"Sorry, Mum." the two chimed in unison. The girl took her brother's moment of inattentiveness and snatched her wand back from him. The woman who had spoken to them came the rest of the way down the stairs, holding a few bags of groceries.

"Ginny, dear, take one of these." she asked, handing the red haired girl a bag. The woman bustled over to the kitchen counter and turned back around to greet the rest of the kitchen. "Hello Kingsley, Sirius, Remus. You must be Nymphadora!" she said. Tonks found it hard to be annoyed at the woman for using her first name, she was such a motherly type.

"You can call me Tonks." was all she said.

"Lovely to meet you. I'm Molly Weasley and these are two of my children, Ron and Ginny." she said, gesturing toward the two kids who had just taken seats at the kitchen table. "Ron, where are your brothers?" Molly Weasley asked in an exasperated tone. Ron had no need to answer however as there was a scream followed loud shrieks that made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"FILTH! SCUM! BLOOD TRAITORS! INSULTS TO MY FAMILY!" Tonks' head shot toward the stairs and immediately felt as if she'd missed something when the three men sitting around her jumped to their feet and ran up the stairs. After several minutes of continued shouts of insults, the house finally fell silent again. A moment later, the three men returned to the kitchen followed by two more bright red haired boys who appeared to be identical twins. Molly Weasley immediately rushed over to the boys.

"Fred! George! How many times do I have to tell you NOT to agitate Mrs. Black!?" Molly shouted. To the untrained eye, Fred and George might have actually appeared remorseful for their actions. However, Tonks had found herself in similar situations several times and new the look of satisfaction hiding just behind the mask of regret.

"Sorry, Mum." the two said. "Fred's Screaming Yo-yo fell out of his pocket." the twin on the left said. Molly's hands went straight to her hips.

"And where, may I ask, did you two get Screaming Yo-yo's? And why would you bring them here?!" she asked.

"At Gambol and Jape's." the twin on the right said.

"We just wanted a bit of fun." the one on the left said.

"It's right boring around here!" the boy on the right said. Tonks couldn't help but grin.

"I second that!" Came Sirius's voice from his original seat. Molly gave Sirius a disapproving look then turned back to her sons.

"Give it here." she said, holding out her hand. The twins huffed, but handed over the Screaming Yo-yo and sat down at the table. A thought suddenly struck Tonks.

"Weasley…Are you Charlie Weasley's family?" she asked. Mrs. Weasley turned and smiled at her, all anger at her two sons gone from her face.

"Why, yes, dear! Do you know him?" She asked. Tonks nodded.

"Yeah. Well, sort of. We were in the same year at Hogwarts, but I was in Hufflepuff, so I didn't know him all that well. We were partners in potions one year…Professor didn't like me much." Tonks added as an afterthought. Sirius laughed and Tonks noticed Remus give him a warning look before grinning himself. "What's so funny?" she asked, looking between the two. Sirius shook his head, having stifled his laughter, but was still grinning.

"Nothing, your potions professor was a schoolmate of ours, that's all." Remus answered. Sirius snorted.

"Greasy old git." one of the Weasley twins added in. All three of his siblings nodded their agreement.

"Oi, watch who you're calling old. He's the same age as me." Sirius said, but with very little conviction.

"He's my age, too, Sirius." Remus remarked. Sirius grinned.

"Yes, well, none of us are calling you young, Moony. You were in your mid-thirties by our fifth year!" Sirius joked. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Don't talk about other members so badly. We're supposed to on the same team." Mrs. Weasley chastised calmly as she set out cups of tea for everyone. Tonks couldn't help but notice that she didn't seem at all upset by everyone's comments.

"We can't help it if he's greasy and a git, Mum." Ron said matter of factly.

"He's right. You can smell the blighter from a mile away!" the other twin said.

"George!" Mrs. Weasley chided. Tonks made a mental note that George had green eyes while Fred's were more hazel. Sirius, who had been about to take a sip of his tea snorted quite a bit back into his cup and began laughing again. It sounded to Tonks as though he hadn't laughed in quite some time.

"At least I'm not the only one who can't stand him!" Tonks said, laughing. She looked up and found that even Remus was laughing. She knew he couldn't be that kind, and the proof came as quite a relief.

"On the contrary, actually." Remus said to Tonks, stifling his laughter long enough to relieve a memory. "Sirius, remember in our second year when you charmed his cauldron to his table in potions?" Remus asked. Both men were nearly rolling with laughter at this memory.

"Yes! He was pulling so hard!" Sirius said, leaning his head back, laughing.

"And when you lifted the spell!" Remus egged on. Sirius burst out laughing, imitating the scene of a cauldron full of some liquid flying back into the owner's face. The whole room was in an uproar, even Molly was chuckling, though she covered her mouth to try and hide it.

"Yes, we all found that highly amusing." came a cold drawl from the door. There were a few sighs and deep breaths as everyone tried to calm their laughter.

"Severus," Remus started, clearing his throat to regain his voice. "We weren't expecting you yet." he said.

"Apparently." He was holding a large cauldron in his arms and glaring around the kitchen at the occupants. "I've brought your potion, Lupin. Although, you don't appear to need it." he said coldly. Tonks looked back at Remus whose expression had changed from lighthearted to a cold stare. However, when he spoke, his voice was entirely calm.

"Maybe, however, seeing as you've carried it all the way out here, you might as well leave it." Remus forced a cordial smile before Severus carried the steaming cauldron over to the kitchen counter.

"Forgive me if I don't stay for dinner, Molly." was all Snape muttered before sweeping out of the kitchen again. The kitchen fell silent momentarily and Tonks noticed a few people sending Remus unreadable glances. Tonks finally decided she couldn't take the silence anymore.

"What's the potion for?" she asked. Sirius looked up at Remus, as if waiting to hear his response, and Tonks swore she saw a note of nervousness pass across his face momentarily.

"I'm afraid I haven't been feeling well. Severus is the only wizard I know who can brew the potion that helps the best." He said casually. Tonks could tell that this conversation was over. Though she was still very nervous about the work she'd be doing for the Order, she was glad to find that the other members were very enjoyable.


	2. Chapter 2

An hour later, a square jawed wizard by the name of Sturgis Podmore called all the adults up to one of the drawing rooms for the meeting. Tonks turned to look at the four Weasley children, who had stood and were attempting to join the group, when Mrs. Weasley started shouting.

"You four stay down here! You know you're not allowed in the meetings!" She turned on her heal and trudged up the stairs behind Sirius and Kingsley. Ginny crossed her arms and huffed, flopping back into a chair. Fred and George looked ready to kick something, mumbling under their breath about "Almost being of age." Ron merely sighed and grabbed himself a butterbeer his mother had just bought and sat next to Ginny. Tonks couldn't help but empathize with the childrens' frustrations.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you're not missing much." she lied. Ginny glanced up and gave Tonks a half smile.

"C'mon, we don't want the meeting to start without us, do we?" A voice said behind her. Tonks hadn't realized that someone else had stayed behind. She turned to see Remus smiling warmly at her. Her stomach gave a small lurch. _I must be nervous about the meeting…_She thought to herself. Tonks gave the four Weasley's a small wave and preceded Remus up the stairs.

When she entered the drawing room, there were quite a few more people than she had expected. She recognized one immediately, easily the most noticeable man in the room.

"Wotcher, Hagrid!" Tonks called over the crowed. The large, hairy man turned and beamed down at Tonks.

"Ah, Tonks! How are yeh?" he asked. Tonks smiled. Hagrid was one of her favorite and most missed faculty members from Hogwarts. She gave Remus a small wave before hurrying over to greet the half-giant.

"Brilliant! How's Hogwarts?" she asked. Hagrid's face dropped a bit.

"Dumbledore made me a teacher." he said with little enthusiasm. Tonks smiled, hoping his spirits would pick up.

"That's fantastic! What are you teaching?" she asked.

"Care o' Magical Creatures." was all he said.

"Right up your alley." Tonks finally decided that her friend's expression was not to be ignored. "What's the matter? You don't like it?" she asked. Hagrid shrugged.

"I like it alrigh'. I don' think the students like me much." Hagrid answered solemnly. Tonks knew Hagrid's taste in magical creatures and could only imagine what kind of "misunderstood" monster he would show a class.

"I'm sure they're just not used to the different creatures. Most of them are probably used to boring little things like Flobberworms." Her words seemed to encourage the large man because his face broke into a soft smile under his scruffy beard. Tonks grinned and patted Hagrid on the arm. The group was being called to order, so she turned and took a seat in an empty row.

Tonks' stomach began doing nervous summersaults as she became fully aware that this was her first meeting. What if someone asked her to do something? What if she suggested something stupid? Finally, just as her row was beginning to fill (a small man named Dedalus Diggle on her left and Kingsley Shacklebolt on her right) Tonks made up her mind to keep quiet during the meeting. She glanced around at rows of chairs set up in a semi circle and noticed Sirius and Remus near the end of the front row to her left. Sirius was leaning over to say something to Remus, which made him grin. Tonks didn't know why, but she liked to watch him smile. _Concentrate on the meeting! What's the matter with you?_ She shook her thoughts back to the meeting and looked to the center of the semi circle to see another familiar face.

"Good evening, everyone. Before we begin, I'd like to introduce our newest member. Everyone give a warm welcome to Miss Nymphadora Tonks." Albus Dumbledore introduced her. Everyone turned to look at her, smiling welcomingly, waving, a few mumbled a greeting. Tonks sheepishly returned the welcome, inwardly hating Dumbledore for using her first name. As soon as everyone's attention was turned back to the Headmaster he began the Order proceedings. Tonks sat silently, taking in all the information Dumbledore was giving. Glancing around, Tonks realized that most people looked rather bored as if this information had been given several times before.

Tonks' eyes wandered to the end of the front row to find Sirius toying with a piece of string hanging off his old robes. Remus appeared to be paying attention at first glance until Tonks realized that every now and then his head would loll back, then jerk forward. Tonks grinned to herself and then turned back to Dumbledore. He had stopped speaking and was looking around at the group, his eyes twinkling over his half moon spectacles.

"I thank you all for your most astute attention." he said in a slightly louder voice than Tonks felt was really necessary. Several people jumped and straightened in there seats. At the end of the row, Remus jerked himself awake again, cleared his throat, and sat up straight. Sirius laughed and shook his head, settling further into his chair and crossing his arms. Dumbledore continued to smile at everyone. "Now, for our next mission I will need some volunteers." Tonks was surprised at how few people jumped at the chance to volunteer. In fact, no one had their hand raised at all.

"What's the mission?" A woman named Emmeline Vance spoke up.

"I need a guard to escort Harry Potter from his Aunt and Uncle's house on August the sixth." Dumbledore's information immediately evoked a call to arms as several people raised their hands at once. Tonks' hand immediately shot into the air. She looked around and saw that Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, Hestia Jones, Mad-Eye Moody, Sturgis Podmore, Kinglsey Shacklebolt, Emmeline Vance, and Remus Lupin had all raised their hands to volunteer. Dumbledore nodded. "Wonderful, I think nine should be more than enough. No, Sirius, you can't go." Dumbledore added as Sirius had shot his hand into the air. Grudgingly, he lowered his hand and crossed his arms, brooding. Dumbledore looked at him apologetically before continuing. "We will need to be as discrete as possible. I believe it would be best to retrieve him when his Aunt and Uncle are not at home." There were several murmurs of agreement.

"How will we know when the Muggles are gone?" asked a little woman who reminded Tonks greatly of a crazy old cat lady.

"Excellent question, Mrs. Figg. Seeing as we cannot monitor Harry's house more so than we already are, I feel it's best if we attempt to lure his family from their home on the night of our arrival." There were several more murmurs of agreement.

"How are we going to lure them from their home?" Remus asked. Sirius snorted.

"Harry said his cousin's a bit on the pudgy side. Why don't we get him to chase a bar of chocolate down the street?" Tonks' cousin suggested more for his own amusement than for anyone else to hear. A couple people chuckled, including Tonks and Remus. Tonks found Mrs. Weasley and noticed that Molly wasn't finding Sirius' suggestion at all amusing.

"I don't doubt that would be quite amusing, Sirius, but are there any other suggestions?" Dumbledore asked the rest of the group. Tonks finally got the urge to speak up.

"What are these Muggles like? It would be easier to lure them out of the house with something they are interested in." She suggested. Her stomach twisted for a moment before someone finally spoke up.

"Mrs. Figg, what can you tell us about the Dursleys?" Arhur Weasley, Molly's husband, asked. Mrs. Figg thought for a moment before speaking.

"They're quite clean, these Muggles. Rather nosey, too. Their yard is always impeccably neat." The group fell into contemplative silence.

"We could tell them they've been selected for an award of some kind. Like a garden award. They have those, don't they?" Tonks asked. Even though her father was Muggle-born, Tonks hadn't spent much time in the Muggle community.

"Yes, a best-kept garden award. That's brilliant. If I know anything about the Dursleys, it's that they thrive at the chance to be proven the best at something. Splendid idea, Nymphadora." Said Mrs. Figg. Tonks smiled at the woman and kindly informed her to call her Tonks.

"We should put it in a letter to make it more official." Kingsley added. The group at large nodded their agreement.

"Who will write it?" Dumbledore asked for another volunteer. Tonks felt the urge to raise her hand, but was afraid of mucking up her first assignment.

"Tonks, why don' yeh write it?" Hagrid volunteered her. A low drawl of a voice answered before Tonks was able to.

"Perhaps we could find someone better suited. My memory of Miss Tonks' performance in my classroom leaves me believing she may not be the most dependable." Snape informed them. His statement stirred a determination in Tonks as she glared down her row at her greasy haired former teacher.

"I'll do it. I'll write the letter." She announced. Dumbledore's eyes sparkled as he grinned at her. She always had the feeling that Dumbledore could read her mind in these situations.

"Very well, Miss Tonks. The letter will need to be sent as soon as possible." Dumbledore informed her. Tonks nodded.

"I'll get right on it, Professor." Tonks said, feeling inwardly proud of herself for volunteering for two assignments on her first meeting. Dumbledore gave a few more topics to cover before announcing that Mrs. Weasley would be cooking dinner for whoever wished to stay and that the meeting was adjourned. Tonks agreed to stay, as well as Remus. The rest all seemed to have prior engagements and asked for a rain check for a later date. As everyone was clearing out of the drawing room, Kingsley approached Tonks, a smile on his face.

"Not bad for your first meeting, Tonks. It wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked in his deep voice. Tonks grinned and shook her head. He patted her on the shoulder and left the drawing room with the rest who weren't staying for dinner. Tonks followed Mrs. Weasley down the stairs into the front hall.

"Molly, do you need any help with dinner?" she asked, forgetting Kingsley's warning of silence when they had first arrived. Molly spun around with a look of horror on her face when Tonks heard the same shouting she had just before meeting the twins.

"_SCUM! BLOOD TRAITORS! HALF-BREED FREAKS! HOW DARE YOU DEFILE THE HOUSE OF BLACK?!_" Tonks spun on the spot and saw the large painting next to the front door had thrown back it's own curtains and revealed a manic looking older woman with yellowing teeth. She was shouting at the room at large, which consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Tonks, and Remus. The woman in the painting spotted someone who had just ascended the stairs in a hurry. "_YOU! HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE HERE, BOY!? YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF THE NAME BLACK!_" the woman shouted at Sirius. He scowled at the painting.

"You couldn't be more right, Mother." He said as he stalked over to the curtain and began tugging on it. Remus walked over and began pulling on the other side. With their combined strengths, they were able to yank the curtain shut and silence the shouting. Tonks followed the rest back down to the kitchen before speaking again.

"That's your mother?" she asked Sirius. He nodded.

"Lovely woman, isn't she? Shame she's dead." He said with as much sarcasm as he could muster. Tonks had never met her aunt and was quite glad of it now.

"So this is your home?" she asked. Sirius took a seat at the kitchen table. He shook his head.

"This was my parent's home. I left when I was sixteen. I could never call this place home." Tonks thought back on the dingy, dirty rooms she had been in and nodded. How could anyone call this dismal place home?

"It serves its purpose, Sirius." Remus said, slipping past Tonks and going over to the cauldron that was still steaming on the counter where Snape had left it. He took a dusty goblet out of a cabinet and wiped it off with his shabby looking robes. "Perhaps we should tackle the dishes tomorrow, Molly." He suggested after inspecting the cleanliness of the goblet in his hand. Molly grinned and continued with her cooking. Tonks watched Remus dip his goblet into the cauldron and bring the liquid to his lips. His face contorted with disgust. "Not the best tasting potion. Remind me to thank Severus again next meeting." He said to the room at large with a steely note to his voice as he sat down at the table across from Sirius. Tonks grinned.

"I'm glad you trust the man, Professor. Personally, I'd be afraid to drink anything he gave me." George Weasley said who came out of the pantry holding several bottles of butterbeer and a wine bottle which he set on the table. Tonks looked back over at Remus.

"Professor? You taught?" she asked. Somehow this information didn't surprise her. Remus nodded.

"Only a year." He said simply. Tonks grinned.

"Let me guess, Defense Against the Dark Arts?" she asked. Remus nodded.

"The curse never fails." He said with a grin. Tonks smiled and grabbed herself a butterbeer. She became aware of a pair of eyes staring at her from the table. She turned to Sirius who was grinning slyly at her.

"What?" she asked with a small hint of annoyance to her voice. Sirius leaned on the table.

"Well, Mum had said something about there being a Metamorphmagus in the family. Actually, I think her exact words were 'My Muggle loving niece gave birth to a morphing freak.'" Tonks laughed. In answer to his question, she screwed up her face in concentration and transformed her face into the spitting image of her Aunt Walburga and then back to her usual appearance.

"Scary." Fred Weasley said in awe.

"Bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed from the kitchen sink where he was rinsing off a few goblets at his mother's orders.

"Ron, language!" Mrs. Weasley warned. Ginny beamed up at Tonks.

"Can you do any face?" she asked. Tonks grinned and nodded.

"Maybe I'll show you a few at dinner. I should really get started on that letter, though." She said, taking a seat at the table next to Remus. Tonks pulled out her wand and conjured a piece of parchment, a quill, and some ink. As she poised herself to begin writing, Remus cleared his throat next to her. Tonks looked up at him.

"Was that for me or are you ill?" she asked. Remus grinned at the snarky comment.

"I was just thinking that you might want to use something a little more...Muggle." he suggested. Tonks looked down at her very wizard method of writing and slouched in her chair.

"Bugger." Tonks sighed as she thought, then remembered something her Muggle uncle had sent her father one year. It was a Muggle contraption called a computer, and her father had managed to break it a week after he got it. There were still burn marks on the desk in his bedroom, in fact. "A computer!" she exclaimed. Everyone in the room gave Tonks very confused looks.

"Beg y'pardon?" Sirius asked. Arthur's expression changed from utter confusion to sheer delight.

"Oh yes! I've heard of those! I believe they're kept at Muggle public libraries." He said with as much enthusiasm as Tonks had.

"I'll have to go and use one. Typed letters always looked rather official when my father received them." Tonks said. Arthur adopted a slightly sheepish look.

"Nympha-er-Tonks…if it wouldn't be too much to ask, do you think I could accompany you to this library?" he asked. Tonks grinned. Ginny leaned across the table.

"Dad's obsessed with Muggles." She informed Tonks, who laughed a little.

"Of course you can, Arthur. You can help me if I get writer's block." Arthur beamed like a child who'd just been informed they were going to Disney World. A few moments later, Mrs. Weasley announced that dinner was served. Keeping true to her promise, Tonks entertained the youngest Weasley with different noses, mostly animal like, which sent Ginny into fits of giggles. About halfway through dinner, a new face descended the stairs into the kitchen. She was a young girl, around Ron's age, with very bushy brown hair, carrying a ginger cat, with equally bushy fur, in her arms.

"Hermione, dear! Here, have a seat." Mrs. Weasley motioned to a seat on Ginny's other side as she jumped up to get another place setting for the young girl. Ginny turned to Hermione.

"This is Tonks. She's new, just joined today." She leaned in and whispered loud enough for almost everyone else to hear. "She's a Metamorphmagus." Hermione looked over at Tonks.

"Oh, I've heard of those. Does it hurt to change your appearance, like using Polyjuice Potion?" she asked. Tonks smiled and shook her head.

"How would you know what Polyjuice feels like?" Sirius asked Hermione, who blushed and exchanged a furtive glance with Ron.

"I wouldn't. I've read it's painful." She said. She was thankful when George drew the attention from herself to someone else.

"I think Professor Lupin wins for painful transformations." He and Fred laughed. Sirius looked as though he were about to agree, but saw the curious look on Tonks' face. She looked at Remus, who shook his head in exasperation. Fred and George seemed to have caught on to the silence of the rest of the room and immediately joined it. Tonks was finally fed up with the secretive manner everyone was treating Remus with.

"Alright, that's it! What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" she asked Remus bluntly. Sirius cocked an eyebrow at her and then looked at Remus, who sighed.

"Thank you, boys, I was trying to keep things quiet for now." He said to Fred and George who gave Remus apologetic looks. He sighed again and looked at Tonks. "I'm afraid Hagrid isn't the only half-breed in the Order." He said. Tonks, having only known one half-breed in her life, looked even more confused.

"You're not half giant." She said. Remus laughed slightly and shook his head.

"No, I'm not." He paused for a moment. "I'm a werewolf." This was not the answer Tonks was expecting. She didn't speak for a moment, trying to comprehend that information. Tonks' insides were squirming. She had seen several werewolves at the Ministry and none of them were the type of people she wanted to be sitting next to at dinner. However, Remus didn't act like them. She fought with herself for a few moments about whether to be frightened of the man who had been so kind to her since she arrived, or to push aside the information is if it were nothing. Her thoughts were broken as one of the Weasley twins spoke up.

"Best bloody werewolf we know!" Fred's exclamation came from down the table as he raised his bottle of butterbeer in a toast. Remus half grinned, Tonks could tell her silence was unnerving him a bit.

"The best teacher we ever had!" chimed Hermione and Ginny together. Tonks could tell that the kids were very fond of Remus and were trying to ease the tension. Tonks grinned as she watched Remus swirl the wine in his glass as he stared down at it with a small grin on his face that didn't reach his amber eyes.

"A good man." She said, tapping her wine glass against his and taking a sip. He looked up at her and smiled a smile that finally reached his eyes.

"Alright! Enough! I'm getting a big head." He said with a laugh, taking a sip of his own wine.

"Oh, and modest, too." Tonks added with a laugh. Sirius snorted.

"Seems as though you have a fan club, Moony." He said. Remus laughed and shook his head.

"Nutters, the lot of them." He said teasingly at the group who laughed. The rest of the dinner went by rather pleasantly and without any tension. Tonks was determined not to care that Remus was a werewolf, though she knew that she would have to sort through her thoughts later on. For right now, however, it was time for good food and good friends.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry about the delay! I had written most of this chapter at work and saved it, but had no idea where I had saved it to. I ended up finding it in some random folder that it shouldn't have been in. I dared to invade all sorts of privacy to find the chapter so that I could finish it and post it. From now on, I'm never using the save button at work! lol Hope you enjoy. It's slightly longer than my other chapters, but that's not a bad thing, is it? And don't worry, I will soon be getting to the meat of the story, it's just taken me a bit to decide what that is. I promise there will be very few other fluff chapters.

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Tonks agreed to meet Mr. Weasley in the atrium at the Ministry after work to head over to the Muggle public library. She spotted the balding, yet still noticeably red-headed man standing just a few paces from the front entrance. She grinned at his interesting attempt at Muggle clothing. It appeared that he had pieced together sections of three different three-piece suits.

"Evening, Arthur, you look…dashing." She said with a grin. Mr. Weasley picked up the tone of sarcasm in Tonks' voice and glanced down at his outfit.

"Is it no good?" he asked, holding out his arms for her to get a good look. Tonks laughed and pulled out her wand, shifting the color of his trousers and jacket to match the flattering hunter green vest.

"Much better. Shall we?" she asked, nodding toward the door. Arthur beamed like a school child and followed Tonks out into the street. She was sure they looked like an odd pair, a young woman with bright pink, spiky hair wearing a band t-shirt and jeans being accompanied by an older man wearing a very green three-piece suit. Arthur was attracting several stares as he greeted every Muggle who past him, gawking at the ones using cell phones or listening to a walkman.

"Arthur, be discrete." Tonks reminded him on several occasions. He would nod absently and mumble something about,

"I'm just keeping an eye out for suspicious activi–another with those ear coverings! Muggles must be very cold people." Tonks had to laugh and shake her head as a young man, bobbing his head to some tune on a walkman, strolled past. They finally arrived at the library. An older woman, who reminded Tonks a great deal of Professor McGonagall, her old Transfiguration teacher, sat behind a desk labeled "Information."

"Hello, there. I was wondering if you had any…computers…" Arthur paused for a moment to be sure he had gotten the word right before continuing, "Available for use?" he asked. The woman nodded and pointed to the left where there was a door labeled "Computers and Printing." Tonks and Arthur nodded there thanks and headed for the door.

Arthur Weasley had never seen such an array of Muggle electricity before. Row after row of computers whose screens glowed blue with a generic background filled the room with a gentle humming noise. Tonks nudged Arthur forward and chose a computer near the door. Arthur pulled up a seat beside her and watched intently.

"Now, how do you…" Tonks asked herself as she reached for the small mouse beside the keyboard. She gave the mouse a push and saw the curser on the screen zoom up into the top left corner.

"Remarkable!" Arthur whispered. Tonks slid the mouse over an icon on the desktop labeled "Microsoft Word Processor." She clicked once, but nothing happened. After several more attempts at single clicking with no avail, she finally gave into frantic clicking of both the left and right buttons on the mouse. Upon right clicking on the icon, she was given a small drop down menu of actions. The top one being "Open" in bold letters. Tonks let out a sigh of relief and opened the program.

"Brilliant…now, what do all these do?" Arthur asked, pointing out the different actions in the menu above the blank white page. The two spent the next few moments testing out the different buttons and typing on the keyboard. Once they had had their fill (once Tonks had had her fill, anyways) she set to work on the letter.

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dursley…" she read allowed as she typed the words, rather slowly. "Does that sound official enough?" Arthur nodded vigorously, anxious for Tonks to continue typing. The rest of the letter seemed to flow smoothly. Tonks stopped a few times to review her progress before deciding to continue. Finally she finished the very official sounding letter with "Sincerely yours," and stopped. "I need a name, Arthur," She asked, "Something old sounding and…gardeny." Arthur pondered for a moment.

"How about Myrtle Bergman?" he suggested. Tonks crinkled her nose.

"It's perfect." She said and left a few spaces for a signature before typing,

**Myrtle Bergman**

**Chairwoman**

**Department of Agriculture**

After one final read through, Tonks hit the print button (after attempting several other buttons to find it) and hurried over to the printer that began whirring and clicking as it spat out an exact replica of what she had typed on the screen.

"Fantastic! It knows exactly what you wrote. Marvelous, this Muggle eclectrikity." Arthur said as he examined the copy of the letter. Tonks snatched the letter back from him.

"Come on, I want to go back to Headquarters for someone to sign it." She said as she headed for the door. Once outside, and down a side street, the two Disapparated to Grimmauld Place. Tonks entered the kitchen, hoping to find someone around who could sign the letter for her. Her own handwriting was awful. She found Molly fixing the evening meal, Ginny and Hermione playing with Crookshanks, Hermione's ginger cat, on the kitchen floor, and the twins in the corner talking to Mundgungus Fletcher, a man Tonks had run into on occasion in her department. Mundungus wasn't a dark wizard by any means, merely a criminal. She was certain the three men couldn't be up to any good. Finally, she spotted Remus Lupin sitting at the end of the kitchen table, hunched over a small stack of papers and looking slightly out of sorts.

"Everything alright, Remus?" Arthur asked as he stripped off his jacket and hung it on the back of a chair and giving his wife a kiss on the cheek. Remus glanced up from his papers and nodded.

"Just some Ministry business, I'm afraid." He said. Tonks sat across from him and attempted to read the heading on the papers.

"Ministry business, eh? I didn't think you were involved with the Ministry." She said after Remus blocked her view with his arm.

"Not by choice." He said bitterly. Tonks gave him a frustrated look and leaned over the table to get a better look. "The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures" was stamped across the top of the page Remus was hovering over, quill in hand.

"Are they the werewolf registration forms?" she asked timidly, sitting back down in her seat. Remus answered with more bitterness in his voice than Tonks would have suspected.

"Every bloody year I have to fill out these forms, and nothing ever changes but my bloody address." He huffed. Tonks frowned across the table at the top of a graying head.

"Brooding about regulations again, are we?" came the voice of Sirius Black from behind Tonks. He had apparently been rooting around the house-elf, Kreacher's crawl space for stolen items. Remus looked up at his old friend and pointed the feather of his quill at him.

"You'd be brooding too if someone had restrictions that kept you from getting a steady paying job." He said. Sirius cocked his head to the side.

"I do have restrictions, mate. Four walls and an entire Ministry out to get me." Tonks was certain she had never been part of a more depressing conversation. Remus couldn't hold a job because of his condition, which kept him from earning enough money to own a decent flat and Sirius was barricaded inside his own home. She had considered telling the two about her trip to the library with Arthur, but now felt as though it would be rubbing life in both their faces. Remus looked apologetically at his old friend for a moment before continuing.

"These questions are ridiculous!" he grumbled as he set back to his work. "Look at this one, number fifty-four. 'In the past twelve months, how many animals or humans do you recall harming in your animal state?' None, you ruddy…" Tonks couldn't make out the rest of what the Ministry officials were as he scribbled an answer on the paper. She assumed they couldn't be the nicest of phrases. "My whole life I've never harmed a soul except for myself." He mumbled to himself as he continued to scribble down more answers. The kitchen was silent for a moment before Tonks decided to clear her throat and draw the attention to someone else.

"Does anyone have decent handwriting? I need someone to sign my letter to the Muggles." She said. Ginny hopped up from the floor and read the letter quickly over Tonks' shoulder. She crinkled her nose once she reached the end.

"Myrtle Bergman?" she asked in disgust. Tonks grinned.

"It was your father's idea." She said.

"You wanted something gardeny!" Arthur exclaimed. Tonks laughed. Ginny glanced around for a spare quill left out from a meeting, but didn't find one.

"Um, Professor Lupin, may I borrow your quill?" she asked. Remus nodded and handed over the quill, straightening his stack of papers and leaning back in the chair.

"Giving up?" Tonks asked. Remus nodded.

"There's only so much prejudice I can take in one night." Remus glanced over at Ginny after signing Myrtle Bergman's name in curly, intricate lettering. "May I read it?" he asked. Tonks gave him a playful glare.

"Why? Don't you trust my abilities?" she asked. Remus grinned at her.

"I only ask out of intellectual curiosity." He said. Tonks bit back a laugh and rolled her eyes, handing over the letter after examining Ginny's signature.

"Be my guest, Professor." Tonks watched as Remus read her letter with mounting anticipation. _What if he thinks it's terrible? What if he says I'm trying too hard? _She thought to herself. Remus set down the letter and slid it back across the table. "Well? What do you think?" Tonks couldn't understand why she was so eager for his approval.

"It's good. I think they'll go for it." He said. Tonks smiled and folded up the letter. She turned as she heard footsteps descending the stairs into the basement kitchen. A man with bright red hair pulled back into a pony-tail, what appeared to be a dragon tooth earring, and wearing a very official looking suit walked into the kitchen.

"Hello, Mum." The man said, giving Mrs. Weasley a peck on the cheek. Molly smiled at her son. He then turned to look at the kitchen. Ginny hurried over to her brother and gave him a hug.

"Bill, come meet Tonks, she's an Auror." Ginny said, nodding her head toward the table. Mrs. Weasley watched Bill make his way to sit next to Tonks with a strange twinkle in her eye. "Tonks, this is my oldest brother, Bill. Bill, this is Tonks." She said. Tonks smiled and shook Bill's hand.

"Tonks, eh? As in Nymphadora Tonks? Charlie's old potions partner?" he asked. Tonks nodded. Ginny grinned at the two and then leaned in to ask her brother a question in a low voice. Tonks assumed she didn't want her mother in on the conversation.

"How's Phlegm? Couldn't help but notice she's not here." she asked. Bill gave her a disapproving look.

"_Fleur_ is just fine. She had some extra work to do at Gringotts." There seemed to be an underlying conversation between the two that only they were a part of. Bill decided to end it and turned to Remus.

"Hello, Remus. You look well." He said conversationally. Remus nodded.

"Severus' potions have been very useful. How's work in Egypt?" The two men struck up a conversation over international work at Gringotts when Ginny turned back to Tonks. She glanced over her shoulder at her brother talking across the table to Remus and then down the table to where Arthur was regaling Sirius on the Quidditch World Cup the year before.

"Do you remember the Triwizard Tournament last year?" Ginny asked in a hushed voice so that the four men at the table wouldn't be in on the conversation. Tonks nodded.

"Of course I do, it was the biggest news of the year." She said. Ginny adopted a mischievous look.

"Remember the Beauxbatons tart?" She asked. Tonks thought back.

"Oh yes, the Veela girl?" she asked, not entirely sure where this was going. Ginny nodded.

"Bill's been dating her ever since she spotted him the day the champions' families were allowed to visit." She said with a look of disgust on her face. Tonks laughed.

"What's the matter, Ginny? Not getting enough attention from your brother now?" she asked. Ginny huffed.

"No, that's not it! She's horrible. Thinks very highly of herself, that Phlegm." She said. The two suddenly noticed that the conversation beside them had gone quiet. Ginny turned around slowly to see Bill staring at her with a stern, yet non threatening glare.

"I'm sure Tonks is not at all interested in my relationship with _Fleur_, Ginny. Why don't you run along and play with Crookshanks?" he suggested. It was clear that Ginny had no interest in being treated like a child by her brother, but obliged nonetheless. Tonks laughed as Ginny headed up the stairs. "So sorry about that. Ever since I started dating Fleur, Ginny's tried to get any girl she meets to steal me away." He said with a small laugh. Before Tonks could respond, however, the familiar sounds of Mrs. Black's shouts flooded the stairs and spilled into the kitchen. Tonks was certain this was retaliation from Ginny. She rushed upstairs behind Remus, Bill, and Sirius to find the horrible troll leg umbrella stand lying on its side some ten feet away from its original position. Ginny must have flown it at the painting which was now shouting relentlessly. Tonks hurried over to the painting to help close the curtains, but promptly tripped over the umbrella stand and fell head first into the wall.

Walburga Black's shouting was suddenly silent as Tonks slowly opened her eyes. She wasn't in the front hall any longer, but lying on her back on the kitchen table. She sat up slowly, grasping her head as she swung her legs over the edge of the table, holding onto the side with one hand.

"Does your head hurt?" someone asked. Tonks didn't care who it was. She shook her head slowly.

"No, I'm just a little dizzy, that's all." Tonks let go of the edge of the table and brought her hand up to her head. Almost immediately she began to tilt backwards. Someone stepped in front of her, grasping her wrists lightly and pulled straight.

"I think a little might be an understatement." The same man said with a slight hint of amusement to his voice. Tonks placed both hands on the man's shoulders to steady herself further. She looked up into the face of Remus Lupin who was grinning softly at her. Tonks stared at him for a moment, his face doubling every now and then as she tried to regain her focus.

"What happened?" she asked softly.

"You tripped and hit your head on the corner of my mother's frame. You should have heard her shouts, I can't remember the last time she sounded so happy." Sirius said with a hint of bitterness in his voice. Tonks closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them, this time she was able to focus directly on Remus.

"Can you stand?" he asked. Tonks nodded slowly and allowed him to pull her down off the table by her waist. She let go of his shoulders and put a hand behind her to brace herself against the table.

"Tonks, you clumsy oaf! Some things never change." Came another familiar voice that Tonks hadn't heard in several years. She looked over at the stairs and saw her old potions partner grinning at her.

"Shut it, Charlie, it was your sister's fault. Where is she anyways?" she asked, glancing around to see if she had returned after all the commotion.

"If we've taught our little sister anything, it's never to return to the scene of the crime." Said one of the Weasley twins from somewhere near the pantry. Tonks noticed that Molly was missing as well. "I think Ginny went up to hide in Buckbeak's room." The twin added. Tonks looked confused and leaned around Remus to look at Sirius.

"Who's Buckbeak?" she asked. Sirius grinned.

"Oh, my Hippogriff." He said, fully aware that Tonks wasn't going to believe him. She didn't and began laughing lightly.

"Right, and I have a Crumple-Horned Snorkack in my closet at home." A few people laughed. Sirius shook his head.

"Don't believe me? Have a look for yourself. Remus will show you." He said. Tonks raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's the matter, cousin? Afraid to be around when I find out there is no Hippogriff? I don't blame you." Tonks' tone was light and playfully threatening.

Sirius grinned and shook his head, stating with all seriousness, "I don't like going up there unless I plan on staying. Beaky gets too lonely for me to be popping in and out." Tonks felt a tug somewhere near her navel at Sirius' affectionate pet name for his pet, knowing that he too is too lonely for Order members to be popping in and out of Headquarters all the time.

"I'll show you if you like." Remus offered. Tonks looked back up at her would-be Healer and smiled.

"Alright, let's see this make-believe Hippogriff of his." She said. The two headed up the stairs. Once they were out of earshot of Mrs. Black's painting and well on their way to the top floors of the house, Tonks turned to Remus. "You're taking this a bit far, don't you think?" she asked as they stopped at a door at the end of the hall. Remus was smiling faintly.

"Taking what too far? He's right in there. Make sure you bow before going too far in. Hippogriffs are very territorial." He warned. Tonks laughed and shook her head.

"Right. You know, you're going to look awfully stupid when I reveal an empty room." She said, pushing the door open. There was a soft squawk and the sound of claws scraping wood before Tonks turned away from Remus and gaped, open mouthed, at the chained half horse, half eagle lying in the middle of the room.

"Bow." Remus whispered to the awe-struck Tonks. She hesitated for a moment before obeying. She glanced up and saw that Buckbeak had accepted her cordial greeting and returned the bow. Standing straight, Tonks noticed that Remus too had bowed and entered the room, upon being accepted by the large creature. He noticed that Tonks wasn't following.

"It's alright. He's harmless, I promise." He said, holding out his hand for her to take. Tonks was very hesitant. She hadn't come across a Hippogriff before and was certain that they were generally considered vicious creatures. She slowly took Remus' hand, noticing that she became much less hesitant as she did so, and entered the room. After becoming certain that the Hippogriff wasn't going to attack, she reached out a hand and stroked Buckbeak's feathers gently.

"Wotcher, Buckbeak. You're not make-believe at all, are you?" Remus had let go of her hand and was walking back toward the door. Tonks swiveled on the spot, afraid that he was going to leave her alone with the beast. She relaxed, however as he leaned over and picked up a sack lying beside the door. He noticed the expression on her face and decided to reassure her.

"Dead rats. Sirius has been collecting them from around the house for Buckbeak." He held the sack open for Tonks to take one. Her nose crinkled in disgust and Remus laughed. "Fine, I'll do it." He said, taking a rat by the tail and tossing it at the half bird's beak. Buckbeak caught it in midair and swallowed the rodent whole. "So, what do you think?" he asked, moving to stand beside Tonks and stroking Buckbeak's neck. Tonks glanced up at him with a smile, patting the Hippogriff's beak.

"He's beautiful. How did Sirius get him?" she asked. Remus grinned and began telling the young Auror about Sirius' daring escape from the dementors at Hogwarts, thanks almost entirely to Harry and Hermione. Tonks smiled at Remus and looked back at Buckbeak. "Two innocent lives sentenced to execution…" her words trailed off for a moment before saying, "I wonder how many innocent people I've helped capture." She said. Remus looked down at her thoughtfully.

"It's a corrupt system. You can't blame yourself; you're only doing your job." Tonks nodded and sighed.

"I know, I can't help but think about it though." There was a moment of silence before Tonks began to smile serenely at Buckbeak again. "I think I owe someone an apology." She said, nodding toward the door. They both gave Buckbeak a last good-bye pat (Tonks even braved the rat bag and gave the Hippogriff a parting gift) and left the room.

Back in the kitchen, Fred and George had struck up a conversation with Sirius about their antics at school, a topic that brought a reminiscent gleam to Sirius' eyes. Tonks and Remus took seats at the table. Sirius turned to look at the pink-haired lady. "So am I a liar?" he asked teasingly. Tonks grinned and rolled her eyes.

"No, you were telling the truth." Sirius gave her an 'I told you so' look. "How was I supposed to believe you? Who keeps Hippogriffs in their attack?" she said, folding her arms and mock pouting. Sirius, Remus and the twins all laughed.

"When are you going to send the letter, Tonks?" Ginny had reappeared in the kitchen, followed shortly by a very red faced Molly. She was apparently a little peeved at Ginny's retaliation.

"I don't know, really. Does anyone know how to send a letter by Muggle mail?" she asked the kitchen at large. Fred, George, and Ron who had just entered the kitchen with Hermione all sniggered.

"Why don't you ask Dad?" George suggested. Tonks looked around at Arthur who was turning slightly pink around the ears.

"What's all this?" she asked with a small laugh. Arthur sighed.

"I attempted to send Harry's family a letter last year to ask permission to take him to the Quidditch match." He said. Tonks had a feeling he was leaving a few details out.

"What happened?" she asked as the Weasley children began laughing a little harder.

"Dad stamped the poor letter to death!" Ginny said through fits of giggles. Tonks was now laughing slightly, still not understanding what was so funny. Molly huffed and went to stand behind her husband to show her unyielding support for him.

"Arthur didn't realize that you only need one stamp to mail a Muggle letter. The only visible part on the envelope was Harry's address." She said, resting a hand on Arthur's shoulder. His face was now a shade just shy of his minimal hair. Tonks was laughing softly, though the Weasley children were roaring.

"Don't be embarrassed, Arthur. Now I know only to put one stamp on." Tonks said reassuringly. Molly smiled sweetly at Tonks.

"Will you be staying for dinner?" she asked. Tonks was used to Muggle take-away and her own quick fry ups. A nice home cooked meal from Molly was always welcome. She nodded.

The rest of dinner went by very pleasantly. Tonks regaled Sirius and Remus of her own forms of rebellion against her least favorite teacher at Hogwarts. The two men were in stitches nearly the whole time. Sirius noticed, however, that the he was soon excluded from the conversation as Tonks and Remus seemed to find each other all the company they needed. He frowned and then turned to Mundgungus, who had stayed for dinner despite Molly's insistence that Sirius ask him to leave.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey, everyone. Sorry about the delay. I got very caught up with an illness in the family, the holidays, and my final exams so my writing time has been very limited. I hope this is a decent chapter, I was sort of trudging through it despite some writer's block. I'm desperately trying to get to the good stuff, so bare with me! Hope you guys enjoy, let me know what you think.

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Learning from Arthur's lesson, Tonks mailed the letter successfully, with only one stamp. Mrs. Figg informed the Order that there was a pick up in the Dursley's lawn care habits and they appeared to be informing everyone of their award. Tonks beamed with pride, finally able to stick it to Snape without the usual prospect of detention. Tonks was spending a lot of time at Headquarters, getting to know her estranged cousin and the rest of the Order members.

She awoke early and got ready for work. She was beginning to feel as though she was neglecting her real job because of the Order, but Kingsley had warned her that would happen.

She arrived a tiny bit earlier than normal to find her in-box loaded with paper work. Sighing deeply, she sat and began working. About an hour into her work, a small, pale yellow memo landed in front of her. Ignoring the fact that most memo's land in the in-boxes, she picked up the letter and began reading.

**Tonks,**

**Harry's been caught in some trouble. There was a dementor attack at his home. He and his Muggle cousin were attacked; both are alive and as well as expected. Harry performed magic and is facing expulsion and a Ministry hearing. Emergency meeting at Headquarters tonight, be there.**

**Shacklebolt**

Tonks reread the letter to make sure that she had understood correctly. Once she was satisfied, Tonks fought with herself, desperately wanting to leave work and go to Headquarters straight away. Sirius and Remus would have heard of this news and Sirius was probably going out of his mind.

"You look like hell." Said a familiar voice. Tonks turned and saw the Auror in the cubicle next to hers had poked his head in for a quick chat. His name was Jeremy, not a favorite person of Tonks', but nice enough.

"Oh. I just got a bit of bad news. Some family issues." She said. Jeremy appeared concerned.

"Everything's alright, I hope." He said. Tonks nodded.

"Yes, fine. I'm just really worried, that's all." She said. Jeremy nodded.

"Well, if you wanted to take the day off, I could cover for you." He offered. Tonks felt as if she could hug the man.

"Would you really?" she asked, beaming. Jeremy smiled, happy to have brightened her mood a bit, and nodded. Tonks leapt from her seat and grabbed her cloak, giving Jeremy a small, one-armed hug. "Thanks so much, Jer!" she called as she dashed to the lifts.

Tonks ran down a nearby alley and Disapparated immediately to Headquarters. "Is everything alright?" she asked as she nearly stumbled off the last step. Sirius was pacing near the pantry and Remus appeared to be speaking to someone in the fire. Sirius nodded.

"Harry's fine. We've told him to stay put whatever the cost. The Muggles are furious; they think Harry attacked his cousin. What a load of bollocks." He grumbled. Tonks sighed and sat down in a chair to see who Remus was speaking to.

"What do you mean he wasn't there?!" Remus shouted to the man in the fire. It was Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Fletcher left his post assuming Mrs. Figg would take over." Kingsley informed in his deep voice. Remus sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead.

"What was Dung thinking? He knows that Arabella is only a secondary, she can't perform magic." Remus sounded exhausted.

"What did he leave for?" Tonks asked. Remus looked around at her and gave her a half smile in greeting before turning back to Kingsley's head in the flames.

"Something about cauldrons." He said, making certain his tone showed the utmost annoyance.

"Thanks, Kingsley. We can take it from here." Kingsley said his good-byes to the three in the room and disappeared from the flames. Remus stood up and turned to Tonks.

"Tonks, could you find Mundungus for us?" he asked. Tonks stood and nodded. "Good, bring him back here. I have a feeling Albus will want a word." Tonks had searched Mundungus' home a couple of times and new just where it was. She Disapparated immediately and landed on his front door step.

"Dung, you bloody fool! Open up!" she shouted as she pounded on the door. Tonks paused for a moment and listened as she heard shuffling. The door opened slightly revealing the shoulder and one of Mundungus Fletcher's eyes. "Let me in." Tonks said warningly. Dung opened the door.

"Tonks, wha' a nice surprise." He said, acting as though this was an unexpected guest for afternoon tea.

"Surprise my arse, Dung. Let me in!" she said more forcefully. Mundungus dropped the act and allowed Tonks to enter. Once inside the dismal excuse for a flat, Tonks rounded on Dung. "Where the bloody hell were you?!" she shouted. "Do you even know what's happened?" she asked. Dung nodded slowly.

"Figgy told me. I don' know wha' all the fuss is abou'. Figgy was there to watch over things." He said. Tonks could have hit him.

"_You_ were supposed to be watching things, Dung! What was it this time, eh? Cheap quills, second hand robes, what?!" she asked furiously. Mundungus hung his head.

"Cauldrons. They were a bloody good price, Tonks." He tried to justify. He recoiled slightly at the glare Tonks was giving him.

"Dumbledore wants a word with you at Headquarters. I suggest you get your arse there _now_." She said. Mundungus nodded. Just before he turned to Disapparate, Tonks grabbed hold of his upper arm and Disapparated along side him. She would make sure he got to the right destination. Both their feet landed with a soft thud on the ground outside 12 Grimmauld Place. "Get inside." She said forcefully. Mundungus walked slowly toward the house like a man walking toward his certain death. Tonks gave him a hard poke in the back to quicken the pace.

Mundungus paused momentarily on the bottom step before Tonks gave him a hard shove that sent him tumbling into the kitchen. Remus was conversing with Kingsley and Sirius at the end of the table. When the three men noticed Tonks and Dung enter the kitchen, Sirius jumped to his feet and nearly flew to the other side of the kitchen.

"Explain yourself!" he said. Mundungus cowered, but ran into Tonks' legs.

"I-I'm sorry, Sirius. This isn' all my fault, though." He tried. Sirius glared at him.

"Right, I suppose a team of house-elves coaxed you out of your sorry excuse of a home?" he asked sarcastically.

"Figgy was watchin' 'im!" Mundungus said. Remus and Kinglsey were now on their feet, ready to restrain Sirius incase he attacked.

"Mundungus, you know Arabella is only a secondary guard. She can't use magic and can't be the only person looking out for Harry." Remus said calmly. Tonks couldn't believe how level headed he had remained about this. She was about ready to explode with anger, as was Sirius, but Remus was able to keep so calm.

"He go' out of it alrigh'." Dung said weakly. That seemed to be the last straw. Sirius raised his fist and swung it at Dung's head, catching him on the side of the face. Remus and Kingsley rushed forward and pulled Sirius back. Mundungus was knocked into Tonks, who caught him under the arms to keep him from falling.

"Sirius, calm down!" Remus shouted. Sirius was struggling against both men's grips.

"Thank you, Sirius, I'll take it from here." Said a calm voice from behind Tonks. She turned and saw Dumbledore standing on the bottom step in his deep purple, velvet robes. Mundungus immediately stood and backed into Sirius, who had stopped struggling and had been released by Remus and Kingsley. Dumbledore asked the rest to leave so he could talk to Mundungus alone. Sirius grumbled something about being with Buckbeak if anyone needed him. Kingsley went to discuss the event with Molly and Arthur Weasley, which left Tonks and Remus alone. Neither were ready to leave without knowing what was going to happen, so they agreed to wait in one of the drawing rooms. On their way up the stairs, Remus glanced sideways at Tonks.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" he asked. Tonks knew he wasn't upset with her, but his voice was still rather cold.

"I got someone to cover for me." She said. Remus nodded.

"You didn't have to do that, we had everything under control." He said. Tonks sighed and nodded. They reached the drawing room and entered, closing the door slightly behind them.

"I was worried." She said. Remus looked at her.

"You were worried about Harry?" he asked. Tonks nodded.

"Harry and Sirius. I was afraid he might try something rash." Remus nodded, sitting down on the couch. A small cloud of dust flew around him. There was a moment of silence before Remus leaned forward, burying his head in his hands. Tonks moved forward and sat beside him, placing a hand on his back. "Everything's fine, Remus. Harry's ok, Dumbledore will work this out." She tried to comfort him. Remus shook his head.

"I was supposed to be on guard. I asked Dung to cover for me." His voice was muffled by his hands.

"Don't blame yourself, Remus." She said. Remus looked up at her.

"If I had been on guard, Harry wouldn't have had to fight those Dementors alone. I could have been there to fight them off instead." He said heavily. Tonks looked into his face, the deep lines more apparent in the dull light of the room.

"Sirius told me you were the one who taught Harry the Patronous Charm." She said. Remus examined her and nodded. "Then you did help. You gave him the best protection he could have asked for." Her voice was soothing and Remus' face softened slightly. The two sat in silence, staring at each other. Though Tonks was sure it was only for a moment, it felt like it lasted forever. She was hardly aware that the hand still resting on his back was beginning to draw small circles with her fingers while her other hand rested on his arm. Remus broke his eye contact and looked down at the floor.

"Thanks, Tonks." Was all he said. Tonks moved her hands off of him as the door to the drawing room opened. Kinglsey stuck his head in.

"The meeting's about to start." Tonks and Remus stood and followed Kingsley back to the kitchen.

She arrived at Headquarters on the afternoon of August the sixth with butterflies in her stomach. Her first real mission was due to start in just a couple of hours. Mad-Eye made sure that the entire Guard was very well versed in the plans for that evening. He drilled the plans into their heads so much so that Tonks found herself reciting them in her head like second nature. She groaned and shook the thoughts out of her mind for the time being as she tapped her wand on the door of 12 Grimmauld Place and entered. Giving Walburga's painting her customary two finger salute, Tonks made her way back down to the kitchen where the Guard was asked to meet.

So far, the only members who had arrived were Emmeline Vance, Elphias Doge, and Remus Lupin. Sirius was sitting with the three, looking as though he had been drinking heavily since that morning. Tonks took a seat beside Remus and frowned down at Sirius.

"Do you really think Harry's going to want to see his godfather in a drunken stupor?" she asked. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Moony made me stop drinking over an hour ago. I'll be fine." His voice wasn't at all encouraging. Tonks decided not to press the matter when Remus gave her a warning look and shook his head. "Has Harry's owl left?" she asked. Sirius shook his head.

"She's refusing to leave without a response for Harry. That's some bird he has."

"Poor Harry. Do you think he'll be angry with no information?" Emmeline asked.

"Of course he will be." Tonks said with a small laugh. "I'd be going out of my bloody mind if no one told me anything; especially after all he's been through." Tonks noticed that Remus hadn't spoken yet. "Are you alright?" she asked. Remus gave her a very unconvincing smile.

"I'm fine." He said simply.

"Albus told us about a new appointment to the school for Defense Against the Dark Arts." Elphias added.

"That's bad news, I take it?" Tonks asked.

"She's not the most pleasant woman, you see." Emmeline said. Remus gave a small huff of a laugh.

"Pleasant? She's a monster. Every anti-werewolf regulation in the last decade has come from her." He said with a very clear loathing. Tonks raised her eyebrows.

"Dolores Umbridge, you mean? Dumbledore actually allowed that brute into the school?" she asked incredulously. Tonks had heard of her around the office on several occasions and had never held the woman in very high esteem.

"It wasn't his decision. Fudge overruled his decision and put her in as a way of monitoring Dumbledore's actions." Elphias said. Tonks sighed and rested her hand on Remus' arm. He was obviously very upset about such a woman being given his old position.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Remus. She can't cause too much trouble as long as Dumbledore holds the true power in the school." She gave him a reassuring smile. Soon the rest of the Guard arrived along with a few other Order members. Ginny Weasley, who had been staying at Headquarters for the last week along with her family, hopped off the bottom step, swinging her arms dramatically. Tonks noticed a curious bounce to her step and a certain gleam in her eyes.

"Hello, Tonks." She greeted the pink haired Auror.

"Wotcher, Ginny." Tonks replied.

"When are you supposed to pick up Harry?" she asked. Tonks had the distinct impression that Ginny was trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Just as soon as the rest of the Guard arrives." Elphias Doge answered. Ginny nodded, continuing her nonchalant attitude. Tonks grinned. There was a familiar thud coming down the stairs and into the kitchen as Mad-Eye arrived shortly behind the rest of the Guard.

"Is everybody here?" he growled, glancing around the room. "Good. Let's go over the plans one more time before we head out." He said. Tonks groaned audibly.

"C'mon, Moody! We've been over the plan a hundred times! I think we've got it." She said. Moody glared at her, but seemed to agree.

"Fine, then if everyone's ready? Everyone have your brooms?" Tonks couldn't help but snicker at the thought of Mad-Eye on a broom until she felt her heart sink into her stomach.

"Oh bugger! I've left my broom. Give me two seconds, I can get it." She said, standing up from the table. Mad-Eye growled at her.

"Don't bother, Nymphadora. I had a feeling _someone_ would be forgetting their's so I brought an extra." He waved his wand and his broom, along with a second, identical one appeared at his side. Tonks frowned at the broom. She had a perfectly decent Comet Two Sixty at home, but here she was, being forced to fly some Frankenstein monstrosity. The handle looked to be nothing more than a thin log with bristles tied to the end. The broom wasn't well kept, the tail needed trimming and the handle looked as though it wasn't even finished. To top it off, there was a horrible seat added to the top. _How am I supposed to ride this thing? Side-saddle??_ Tonks thought to herself as she walked over to examine the broom closer.

"Is there a problem?" Moody growled. Tonks bit her tongue and shook her head.

"No, this is fine. Thanks, Moody." She said. She heard a small chuckle behind her and new that Sirius had to be enjoying this. Tonks took the broom and went back to stand with the rest of the ranks.

"Ready, then?" Moody asked. The guard nodded and followed Moody up the stairs.

"You kids have fun. I'll be here when you get back!" Sirius called drunkenly up the stairs.

The plan went off without a hitch, except for a broken plate Tonks gave Harry a little money to replace, and they arrived back at Headquarters only a little bit later than expected. After making it through the entrance without waking Mrs. Black, Harry entered the kitchen and was immediately greeted with a large hug from Sirius, which he gladly returned.

"Harry, dear! You're skin and bones. Here, have a seat, I've made stew." Molly ushered Harry to a chair at the table and placed a steaming bowl of stew in front of him. After a few moments of silence, Sirius decided to open a topic of conversation that the rest of the room seemed to want to put on hold.

"I'm surprised you haven't started asking questions, Harry." He said. Harry swallowed his bite of potato and looked around.

"I wasn't sure where to begin." He said. Sirius grinned.

"Well what would you like to know?" he asked. There was a loud bang from the stove as Molly slammed her spoon back in the pot of stew.

"I think we should use a little more discretion than that, Sirius." She said. Tonks sighed, they had had this argument several times already and it never ended well. Tonks sat silently in her chair; she'd tried to enter the conversation before, but was immediately butted out. Finally, Molly was shot down and they had agreed to give Harry only the information he needed to hear.

"Fine, we can tell him a little, but the rest of you go to bed." She ordered Fred, George, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. This was met with outrage.

"What?!" Ron shouted.

"Bloody hell, Mum! We're of age, why can't we stay?" Fred asked.

"Harry's just going to tell us everything anyways." Hermione argued. Molly sighed, fed up with arguing.

"Fine, you four can stay. Ginny, up to bed." She ordered. Ginny's face turned as red as her hair.

"How come I'm the only one who has to leave?!" she shouted.

"BECAUSE I SAID SO!" was Molly's furious response. Ginny wisely chose not to argue anymore and headed up the stairs, followed closely by Mrs. Weasley, who didn't completely trust Ginny not to throw something at Mrs. Black's painting again. Once Molly had returned, the Order answered as many questions as Harry could think to ask.

Once the interrogation was over, everyone was sent to bed. Tonks decided to stay at Headquarters for the night, seeing as it was almost three in the morning. Sirius gave her a room on the third floor, next to Remus'.

"Harry didn't seem too satisfied." Tonks said as she and Remus headed up to bed. Remus sighed.

"Would you have been? Unfortunately we can't give him anymore information than we already have." He said. Tonks nodded.

"Do you think Sirius believes Harry is James, like Molly said?" she asked. She wasn't sure if it was a topic Remus wanted to cover, but she was curious all the same.

"I think spending years in Azkaban may have unhinged him a bit, but he knows who Harry is. Sirius hasn't had the chance to spend enough time with him to realize he's more like Lily than James." He said. Tonks noticed sadness in his voice. She sympathized with him, losing all of his closest friends.

"What did you do after they were all gone?" she asked. Remus stuck his hands in the pockets of his dingy robes and shrugged.

"I moved around a lot. Honestly, we had all been accusing each other for months before Lily and James were murdered, our friendships were already very strained at that point. I received the most suspicion so they had already stopped speaking to me almost entirely." Tonks frowned at him.

"Was it because you're a werewolf?" she asked. Remus gave her a small smile.

"Nobody is truly without prejudice, Tonks." She nodded. She wanted to change the subject, but didn't know how to. Fortunately, Remus did it for her.

"You did brilliantly tonight." He said. Tonks grinned at him.

"I didn't do much. I flew and helped Harry pack. I think I scared him a bit." She said with a small laugh. Remus chuckled.

"Why do you think that?" he asked. Tonks blushed.

"I was a bit star struck, I think. I got nervous and when I get nervous I tend to talk a lot." Remus laughed again.

"I'm sure you didn't scare him as much as you think." Tonks smiled up at him in silence for a few moments. Remus really was a handsome man now that she'd taken the time to really look. He was a good deal older than her, but he didn't treat her like a child as most people tended to do. His prematurely graying hair and lined face made him appear very dignified; they were a sign of all the challenges he's had to overcome. She was snapped out of her thoughts as Remus began to laugh softly.

"What's so funny?" she asked. Remus shook his head.

"Do you often stare at people like that?" he asked. Tonks blushed. She didn't realize she had been staring that long.

"Oh, sorry. I must be tired. I should go to bed." She said, turning away from him to hide her deep blush.

"G'night, Tonks." He said, turning and going into his own room.

_What was that about? _She asked herself as she changed for bed. She flopped down on the bed and rolled over, staring at the wall. Her eyes began to grow heavy with sleep as one thought passed through her mind: _Remus Lupin was definitely a handsome man._


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hi everyone!! Long time no read, huh? I know this took forever, but life as an art student tends to zap you of all your creative juices. I finally got the urge to pick up a pen (so to speak) and continue this story. I'm trying to remember what I had in mind for upcoming chapters, but I'll hopefully get more up soon. Enjoy and REVIEW!! ^_^

* * *

_Scratch scratch scratch._

Tonks squeezed her eyes shut against the sound.

_Scratch scratch._

She rolled over, pulling the covers over her head.

_Scratch_.

She huffed and rolled over onto her back, throwing the covers off of her and stared up at the ceiling in aggravation. She finally gave up the idea of sleep and sat up. Tonks became painfully aware of the source of the noise. There, on the floor by an ancient armoire, was a single Doxy. Tonks sat perfectly still, hoping the creature hadn't noticed her. When it didn't turn, she cautiously reached over to her nightstand for her wand. It scraped the table as she dragged it toward her, which drew the Doxies attention. She paused and the Doxy bore its horribly sharp teeth at her, letting out an unnerving hiss. Suddenly, the fairy-like creature leapt at her. Tonks screamed, throwing her arm up over her head to block the Doxy's bite. She attempted to jump out of bed, knocking the Doxy away with her arm as she did so and sent it crashing into the wall. Just as she made it to the door, it flew open, and two men blocked her escape. Tonks covered her head with her arms and tried to shove past the two.

"Out of my way you bloody gits!" she shouted and finally broke free of her barrier and ran down the hall.

"Don't go downstairs, Tonks!" shouted Mrs. Weasley as she bustled down the hallway, a rag held to her face in one hand and a can of Doxy repellent in the other. Tonks, in her panic, didn't listen and took the stairs two at a time before she tripped over the hem of her pajama pants and tumbled down the rest of the stairs and crashed to the bottom. Tonks let out a yelp of pain, immediately waking Mrs. Black.

"FOOLS! MENACES TO SOCIETY! FILTHY HALF-BREEDS! HOW DARE YOU ENTER MY HOME!" she shouted as Tonks unsteadily tried to stand and move to the now open curtains. A stampede of footsteps came down the stairs as Sirius and Remus hurried to Walburga's painting. Tonks gave up her attempt to fix the situation and leaned against the wall, where she slid to the floor and held a hand to her head. The two managed to shut the curtains and Remus turned his attention toward Tonks as Sirius headed upstairs to check the Doxy situation.

"Are you alright?" Remus whispered, nearly inaudible. Tonks looked up at him and nodded sheepishly. She allowed him to help her up and lead her down to the kitchen, keeping his hand gently at the small of her back to keep her steady. "How about some tea?" He offered, sitting Tonks down at the kitchen table. Tonks nodded and folded her arms on the table and rested her forehead against them. As Remus headed over to the kettle on the stove two bright red heads entered the room.

"What's all the bloody racket?" One of the Weasley twins asked.

"It's too bloody early." The other grumbled. Tonks raised her hand off the table, not bothering to move her head and waved at them.

"Tonks had an unpleasant morning." Remus said, setting the cup of tea in front of her. Tonks slid it over and leaned her head above it, allowing the aroma from the steam to drift past her face.

"Bloody Doxies…Can't stand the buggers." she grumbled before taking a sip of tea. Her face contorted and she scanned the table for sugar and milk.

"I'm sorry about that, dear. I thought Sirius had cleaned that room already." Molly Weasley said as she came down stairs. Sirius followed close behind her, the slight hint of a smug smile playing across his lips. Tonks glanced up at Molly and gave her a smile before noticing Sirius' grin.

"Sirius told you that, did he?" Tonks asked, clearly accusing Sirius of some wrong doing. Molly turned to Sirius just in time to see a truly smug grin form.

"Oh, Sirius! You didn't!" Molly exclaimed. Sirius barked a laugh.

"I'm sorry, cousin. It gets right boring around here. I couldn't help myself." Sirius admitted along with a satisfied laugh. Tonks groaned and threw a sugar cube at his head which he easily batted away. Sirius and Remus grabbed themselves a cup of tea and sat down at the table. Just as Remus was about to take a sip, a rather unattractive house-elf leapt onto the table and snatched the cup right out of his hands and jumped down to the floor.

"Filthy half-breeds drinking from Kreacher's mistress's cup. The nerve…Disgusting." it grumbled under its breath as the elf walked away with the cup clutched to its chest like a baby. Remus sat with a defeated look, folding his hands on the table. Sirius slammed his cup down and went after the house-elf.

"Kreacher, you fool! That's not even my mother's cup! Give it back, you thief!" he shouted as he attempted to wrench the door from the elf's crawl space. Remus sighed.

Tonks turned to him and asked, "What was all that?"

"That would be the Black family house-elf, Kreacher. He doesn't accept Sirius as his master as Walburga never accepted him as part of the family. That wouldn't be the first time he's stolen things from me. We replaced all the china in the house, assuming he'd give up. Apparently we were wrong." Remus explained. Tonks half grinned as she watched Sirius stick his head in through the now open door. "Sirius, give it up!" Remus called to him.

"I'm sick and bloody tired of that wretched Kreacher stealing from me!" Sirius bellowed as he stood and sat back down at the end of the table closest to Kreacher's door, just in case the house-elf left again.

"A house-elf with prejudices." Molly scoffed from the stove where she was preparing breakfast for everyone.

"You can't blame poor Kreacher. He's clearly been brainwashed. If house-elves would fight for their freedom, they'd be allowed to make their own assumptions." Hermione said as she and Ron entered the kitchen. Ron groaned.

"Hermione, save us the _SPEW_ lecture, would you?" he pleaded, taking a seat beside Remus and across from Tonks.

Tonks leaned across the table to Remus, "What's _spew_?" she whispered.

"It's not spew, Ronald, it's S.P.E.W. The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. Get it right. I don't think Kreacher has been given the proper chance to behave civil. He was brought up with foul wizards who mistreated him. If Kreacher were free, I'm sure he'd behave more decently." Hermione continued. Sirius scoffed.

"Kreacher? Decent? I don't think he knows the meaning of the word." he stated with the upmost contempt. As Ron and Hermione continued their argument on the morality of house-elves as servants, a thought occurred to Tonks.

"Where's Harry?" she asked as she took a sip of her tea.

"He's at his hearing. He and Arthur left early this morning." Remus informed her. Tonks nearly choked on her tea and stood up, her chair screeching across the stone floor.

"Bloody hell! The Ministry! I have to get to work!" she exclaimed and headed for the stairs. In her haste, Tonks missed the top step and stumbled into the wall ahead of her, sending a rather disgruntled painting to the ground. The occupant's demands to be set right were drowned out, however, as the noise awoke Mrs. Black for the second time that morning.

* * *

Tonks boarded the lift to her department, breathing heavily in her rush to get there on time. Ministry workers shifted on and off the car along with memos heading to their recipients. Two floors below Tonks', two unexpected occupants boarded the car.

"You did brilliantly, Harry!" Arthur Weasley patted Harry Potter on the shoulder as they boarded the lift. Arthur noted Tonks' presence and, with his back turned, stated in what should have been a hushed tone, the outcome of Harry's hearing. "All's well that ends well. You'll be off to Hogwarts in no time. Wait till Ron and Hermione hear they let you off." Tonks smiled to herself, inwardly congratulating Harry on his victory, deciding that she would definitely be stopping by Headquarters that evening.

Tonks forced herself to finish all of her paperwork before leaving the Ministry, which caused her to stay behind almost three hours late. When she finally left, Tonks headed straight for 12 Grimmauld Place. She caught her reflection in a darkened window and decided that the shoulder length, wavy blue locks were not appropriate for celebration. She wrinkled her nose and out sprouted bubble-gum pink spikes, her favorite look. She entered the house, being very cautious not to wake Walburga for a third time that day and headed to the kitchen, where she assumed everyone would be gathered.

To her surprise, no one was there. She wondered the house, searching for a sign of anyone. Upon reaching the second floor, she heard muffled whimpering as well as unintelligible speech. Following the voices, she found the whole house gathered in a drawing room, huddled around Mrs. Weasley. She was crying and Arthur had his arms around her. Her children all stood behind her, Ginny next to her on the couch, a hand on her mother's arm. Remus was knelt on the ground in front of her, her hands in his. His was the voice Tonks had heard coming up the stairs. Sirius stood against a writer's desk, arms crossed, looking sorry for Molly.

"It's ok, Molly. It was only a boggart. We'll take care of it as soon as Mad-Eye arrives. We've already sent for him." Remus consoled her. Molly took in a shaky breath and let out another sob.

"All my children…My husband…Dead!" she whimpered as more tears flowed from her eyes. Tonks hesitantly entered the room.

"Molly, what happened?" she asked cautiously. The occupants of the room all looked up at Tonks, unaware that she had arrived. Molly didn't respond.

"She had a bad run in with a boggart, I'm afraid." Remus responded before turning back to Molly. "Everything will be fine, Molly. It was just an illusion." Tonks watched as Arthur stroked his wife's hair and her children watched her sadly.

"We aren't dead, Mum. We're all here." Ron whispered. Tonks sighed.

"Molly, I'm going to go make some tea for you, alright? I'll be right back." She turned to Remus. "Want to give me a hand?" she asked. Remus nodded and began to stand before Molly stopped him.

"No, Remus, you stay in case the Boggart breaks loose again. Bill, why don't you go with Tonks?" she offered, turning her blood shot eyes on her oldest. Bill nodded and patted his mom on the shoulder. He and Tonks left the room and headed for the kitchen. As they left the room together, Tonks felt an unexplainable twinge of disappointment in her stomach and glanced back at Remus as he knelt back down, again trying to comfort Molly.

"I don't know what she was thinking…" Bill stated absently as he and Tonks worked on getting tea and biscuits to take back upstairs.

"What did she see?" Tonks asked. Bill glanced at her.

"She saw my whole family lying dead and bloodied on the floor along with Harry and Hermione." Tonks gasped and covered her mouth.

"That's horrible!" she said. Bill nodded.

"This whole Order business as her all out of sorts. She's certain that we're all going to die…" There was a moment of silence before Bill chuckled slightly. "And to think, after all that, she still has room to try and bring another woman into my life." Tonks grinned at him.

"What's your mum got against Fleur anyway?" she asked, leaning against the counter and folding her arms. Bill sighed.

"She doesn't think Fleur's my type. Mum thinks she's shallow and pompous. Fleur isn't like that, though. Honestly, she's a very nice girl and supports me. I just wish Mum could see that instead of spending all her energy trying to get me to fall in love with someone else." Tonks grinned at Bill.

"Better?" she asked, sensing that he'd bottled that up for quite some time. Bill grinned and nodded. "You can't help who you fall in love with, Bill. As long as you're happy, Molly should accept that." Bill didn't respond as he poured the tea into a cup and held the tray out for Tonks to lay the biscuits on.

"You've got a good head on your shoulders, Nymphadora." he said as he headed for the stairs. Tonks threw the can of tea leaves at Bill's head, just missing it. The can burst open as it hit the wall, scattering the leaves all over the floor.

"Bugger!" Tonks exclaimed and started cleaning up.


	6. Chapter 6

Tonks returned to Headquarters after seeing the Weasley children, Harry and Hermione to Kings Cross Station, platform nine and three quarters. It was Sunday, and after a long week of catch-up at the Ministry, Tonks was happy for a break. She settled down at the kitchen table with Molly and Sirius (who had gone against direct orders and saw Harry to the train and was feeling very pleased with himself) while Remus offered to make what Tonks was hoping would be a good, strong cuppa. She took a sip and swallowed hard.

"Got anything a bit stronger, Professor?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow. Remus half grinned and picked up a small box filled with tea leaves wrapped in cloth and shook it.

"Just tea bags, I'm afraid." He said, sitting down with his own cup.

"Perhaps if someone hadn't thrown a fit and the rest of the tea leaves, we could have something a bit better." Sirius jabbed at Tonks, who stuck her tongue out at him in true 5-year-old form.

"He called me 'Nymphadora', Sirius. You have no idea how far those repercussions can go." She stated matter of factly.

"Be happy Remus went out to buy more tea at all. Honestly, you two can act just as bad as my own children." Molly scolded lightly. Remus stared down at his tea as he stirred in some sugar and milk, clearly feeling guilty that he couldn't afford better tea. Tonks turned to Remus sympathetically.

"Still haven't found a job yet?" she asked. Remus shook his head.

"No one's hiring," he said, "Employers are putting the new registry to good use." He added bitterly. Sirius reached over and gave his old friend a firm pat on the shoulder. Tonks quietly listened to the two banter back and forth about the wrong doings of the Ministry. She found that her attention became more and more focused on Remus and what he had to say. She also became aware of the state he was in. She noticed the deep circles under his eyes, the pallid color of his skin and how he took to mostly stirring his tea, rather than drinking it. He didn't laugh at Sirius' jokes or off color comments with quite the same fullness as usual. She was about to ask if he was feeling well when Sirius answered her question for her.

"I suppose you'll have to go without the Wolfsbane tonight?" he asked. Remus nodded.

"Severus wasn't able to brew me a batch with classes starting." He answered. Tonks got the distinct impression that he didn't believe that at all. In fact, she wasn't sure if she believed it herself. Severus was just the kind of person who would take the opportunity to get back at school yard enemies.

"Remus, dear, why don't you use the Burrow for the night, then? Arthur, Charlie and I will sleep here." Molly offered. Remus shook his head.

"No, no, Molly I couldn't do that. I wouldn't want to do your home any damage. I think the basement here will do just fine." He turned to Sirius, raising his eyebrows, seeking permission. Sirius barked a laugh.

"Of course, mate! Mi casa is your casa." He said. Tonks laughed and shook her head. After an hour of friendly conversation, Remus excused himself as he was too tired to continue being social. The three said their good-byes, wished him well, and made plans to see him at the Order meeting the next night. Sirius left shortly after to feed Buckbeak, leaving Molly and Tonks alone in the kitchen.

"Not doing too well, is he?" Molly asked just after Sirius left. Tonks shook her head.

"It's terrible; he has to go through this every month." Tonks said distantly. Molly smiled.

"I was talking about Sirius." She stood from the table to rinse off the tea cups. Tonks watched her and had the distinct feeling that Molly was implying something.

That night, Tonks found sleeping to be nearly impossible. She stared at her ceiling, at moments thinking nothing, at others her mind was racing. She found that, more often than not, her thoughts would drift toward Remus. Was he OK? Her heart raced frantically as her mind thought of every possible thing that could go wrong. She thought of how horrible he looked that afternoon and how much worse he would look in the morning. She recalled the lines in his face, the bags under his eyes, the color of his skin; each feature amplified ten-fold in her anticipation of the next evening. As she lay thinking, Tonks became blatantly aware of the implication Molly had made earlier that afternoon. She realized Molly had noticed the way she had observed Remus over tea. In the back of her mind, Tonks knew that Molly would no longer attempt to start something between her and her eldest son.

Tonks glanced at the clock every few minutes as she sat in her cubicle at the Ministry the next day. She was certain that time had stood still. She tapped her pencil impatiently on her papers and shook her leg. At one point during the day, Jeremy peeked over their shared wall and watched as Tonks scribbled frantically through her paper work, leg shaking, humming a Weird Sisters song. Finally, the time came when Tonks could clock out. She stood in front of the shining doors of the lift and realized that sometime during the day her hair began to resemble that of a famous muggle scientist one of her uncles had shown her when she was young. Not feeling calm enough for her usual pink spikes, Tonks screwed up her nose and went with the short, springy green curls she had worn when Kingsley first told her of the Order of the Phoenix. The moment she cleared the entrance to the Ministry, Tonks Disapparated to Headquarters to eagerly await the start of the meeting.

When she arrived at 12 Grimmauld Place, most of the Order had already arrived and were waiting in the dining room on the first floor where they usually held their meetings. Tonks sat down near the end of the third row of chairs. A few other Ministry employees filed in after her and the meeting began. Tonks found that she wasn't listening. Instead she took to glancing around the room in small sections, trying to find Remus's face. Her stomach tied in knots, however, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"He's not here, Tonks." Molly whispered from behind her. Tonks glanced over her shoulder and gave Molly an I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about look. There were precious few new announcements from Dumbledore and the meeting was called to a close not long after Tonks had arrived. As everyone filed out of the dining room, a few headed home, a few more deciding to stay for dinner, Tonks attempted to slip upstairs unnoticed.

"Where you going, cousin?" Sirius called from the bottom of the stairs. Tonks glanced down at him.

"I was going to use the restroom. Tell Molly I'll help her get dinner ready in a few minutes." She said, surprising herself how convincing she sounded. Sirius, however, didn't buy it, but didn't say anything.

She continued up the stairs and crept down the hallway, finally finding the door she was after. Remus' door was shut, the lights off. She tapped on the door softly and listened for any sounds of movement. After a few moments, all that could be heard was the heavy breathing that accompanies a deep sleep. Without pausing to think, Tonks pushed the door open and peaked inside. The light from the hall illuminated just enough of the bedroom for Tonks to see Remus laying on his stomach, turned away from the light, the blankets pulled up just above his waist. She watched with bated breath as Remus' back and shoulders rose and fell with every breath.

She glanced around the room and spotted a tray of food sitting on a nightstand beside his bed. The food was half eaten and she was sure it was from much earlier in the afternoon. As quiet as possible, she slipped through the door and into the room, trying not to let in too much light. The tray held a bowl of porridge, some toast, and a cup of tea, none of which he appeared to have eaten much of. The spoon lay on the side of the tray, the handle hanging off over the edge. The tea spoon balanced precariously on the edge of the saucer.

Trying not to make a sound, Tonks placed the tea spoon in the tea cup and slid the porridge spoon so it lay on the tray. The tip of the handle hit the tray, making a small metallic clink. She froze, hands hovering over the tray as Remus took a deep breath and rolled over onto his back. Tonks couldn't help but stare. Three deep gashes cut from his left shoulder and stopped midway down his stomach. They appeared to be scarring. Tonks assumed they were new from the night before and that they were on their way to healing. He groaned, drawing Tonks' attention to his face. Remus squeezed his eyes shut against the light, then opened one bleary eye, spotting Tonks.

"I'm so sorry, Remus. I was trying to help Molly…" she whispered frantically, but before she could finish, Remus' eye slid closed and he was snoring again. Tonks couldn't help but smile as she grabbed the tray and left the room, the door clicking shut behind her.

"How's the patient?" Molly asked when Tonks set the tray down in the sink. Tonks sighed.

"Fast asleep. If you want, I can bring him some dinner later." She offered.

"Don't bother. He'll sleep for another few hours, then he'll come down and get himself something before heading back to bed." Sirius said from the kitchen table. Tonks shrugged.

"All the same, he can't be feeling well. Wouldn't it be better if he didn't have to leave his bed?" she suggested. Sirius was about to argue when Molly answered firmly,

"I think you're right, dear. The less he has to move, the better. I'll set aside a tray for him and you can take it up later." She said, patting Tonks on the shoulder. Sirius eyed his cousin, who raised her eyebrows at him innocently and continued to help Molly with dinner. Tonks was anxious. The thought of possibly catching Remus awake, being able to talk to him, made time crawl almost as slow as it had at work. She took to entertaining herself by listening to Mundungus and Sirius talk about not so legal things. When they noticed her listening in, Tonks raised her hand.

"We're all friends here and I'm off duty." She said simply. The two men eyed her suspiciously but continued their conversation regardless. As soon as the last plates had been cleared and washed, the house guests cleared out. Molly and Arthur headed home and Sirius left to spend some time with Buckbeak. Tonks paced the kitchen anxiously, wondering if she should take Remus his food now or wait a little longer. Finally deciding that he needed sleep more than food, she sat down at the kitchen table, resting her chin in her hand. She realized then how frayed her nerves really were. She hadn't slept the night before and had spent most of the day ready to tear her hair out. Needing a little pick me up, Tonks searched the pantry for the stash of Firewhisky Sirius surely had hidden in there. Sure enough, shoved behind several boxes of dried foods, though by no means collecting dust, was a half empty bottle of Firewhisky. She pulled it out and went to the cupboard to find a glass and poured herself a shot. Just as she threw her head back to take a swig, Tonks became aware of another presence in the room.

"That's certainly stronger than tea bags." Tonks put down the cup and turned to see Remus standing beside the kitchen table, gripping the back of a chair for support, wearing a bathrobe and pajama pants.

"I'm sorry, Remus, I was going to bring you something to eat in a little while." Tonks apologized, turning to the counter beside her and grabbing the tray of food Molly had set aside for him earlier. Remus shook his head and carefully sat down in the chair he had been leaning on. Tonks set the tray of food in front of him and sat down beside him, resting her chin on her hand. They sat in silence for a few moments when Remus noticed Tonks' head rolling to the side.

"You look exhausted." He noted. Tonks' head snapped back up and her eyes opened. She grinned sheepishly.

"I didn't sleep well last night." She responded before a huge yawn overtook her. Remus laughed quietly and continued to stab his food with his fork, eating slowly. Tonks watched him for a few moments before reaching out and pulling back the front of his robe to examine the scars she had seen earlier. Remus glanced down at her hand and then up at her face, curious at this new familiarity she was showing. Tonks didn't notice, however, as she was staring at the now fading scars. In just a few hours they would look just like the rest of them; noticeable, but only in the right light.

"Molly's an excellent healer." Remus spoke, jogging Tonks from her thoughts. She dropped her hand and looked up at him with a soft smile.

"She is. Those looked much worse earlier." She said. Tonks assumed, incorrectly, that Remus would remember her visit to his room earlier that evening. Tonks laughed a little, "I took your tray downstairs." She said. Remus nodded and went back to eating. Tonks was very glad to see that his appetite had increased from that morning. She stared at the table as she asked the question that had been bothering her all day, "Were you OK last night? Without the potion, that is?" Remus watched her fingers trace the grains in the wood. He nodded and took another bite of the chicken and ham pie.

"You wouldn't think so, but yes. Sirius joined me sometime during the night." He didn't continue, seeing Tonks' shocked look. He smiled reassuringly at her. "I can't do any permanent damage to him when he's Padfoot." He waited to see if Tonks picked up on the implication. She had and nodded for him to continue. "Sirius, James, and Peter used to join me every full moon while we were in school. They found that their presence kept me more level headed…more of a wolf than a monster." He spoke the last part softly. Tonks watched him as he continued to eat. She noted his appearance, just as she had the day before. It relieved Tonks to see that his features were not as horrible as she had imagined them. He was certainly tired and sickly looking, but he still had the same dignified look about him that she had admired several days earlier. Taking a deep breath, Tonks leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, agreeing that Remus Lupin was still a very attractive man.

"Oh good, you're still here. We have another Boggart situation upstairs. Oh, good morning, Moony." Sirius said, slightly out of breath, as he stood at the bottom of the staircase. Tonks assumed he had taken the stairs at a run.

"Bloody hell, Padfoot. Did your family keep them as pets?" Remus asked as he swallowed another bight of Molly's chicken and ham pie.

"I'd be shocked if they didn't. C'mon, Tonks." He beckoned. Tonks raised her eyebrows and sighed as she stood up waving good-bye to Remus.

"An Auror's work is never done. Feel better, Professor." She said as she patted Remus on the back and followed Sirius up the stairs. Remus went back to eating, grinning to himself at her new nickname for him.

"So much for chivalrous intentions." Sirius teased her as they continued up to the third floor to one of the many unused bedrooms in the Black family home. Tonks elbowed Sirius in the ribs.

"Sod off, Sirius. I just waited too long, that's all." She said as they stood in the door way of the Boggart-infested room. Sirius grinned.

"Ladies first." He said, gesturing for her to enter the room. Tonks bowed her head with a playful grin and entered, wand drawn. Sirius followed close behind.

"So where is the little beastie?" she asked. Tonks had been part of many Boggart removals since she started at the Ministry, but none had ever assumed the form of her own worst fear – there had always been too many Aurors around to confuse it – so Tonks had no idea what form it would take upon seeing her. Sirius pointed her to the cabinet that shook violently as she turned toward it. Tonks grinned, ready for action, "On your go, cousin." She announced, bracing herself for the attack.

With a flick of Sirius' wand, the cabinet doors flew open and out jumped a large, snarling wolf. The animal took a few steps toward the waiting wizards before collapsing to the ground. Tonks stared at the creature, frozen in shock and terror, knowing precisely what would happen next if she didn't act quickly. Just as she had expected, the paws of the animal began to elongate, the great claws retracting. The wolf was becoming human. Sirius saw that Tonks was frozen and jumped in front of her just as the wolf's muzzle began to shrink back and take the form of a nose and mouth. Upon seeing Sirius, the Boggart shifted and became a looming Dementor, gliding eerily toward them. Sirius, more prepared for what the Boggart would show him, had an image ready to use against the dark creature. A gust of wind blew and the great cloak covering the Dementor blew off, revealing a totem pole of goblins stacked one on top of the other, teetering, on the verge of falling. Sirius smirked and chuckled to himself and recited the spell, "_Riddikulus!_" and with a small pop, the Boggart disappeared. Sirius pocketed his wand and turned to see a still stunned Tonks.

"Well that was quite revealing, wasn't it?" he said, a small grin playing around the corner of his lips.

"I'm sorry, Sirius, I don't know where that came from." She apologized meekly. Sirius chuckled to himself and walked out of the room. "Don't tell Remus!" Tonks shouted after him. She snuck down the stairs, too embarrassed to want to say good-bye to either men, and headed for the front door.

"Tonks?" came a whisper from down the hall. Tonks turned and found Remus coming down the hall toward her; she assumed he was headed back to bed. "Take care of that Boggart?" he whispered. Tonks nodded and needlessly shushed him and pointed toward the covered painting before waving a good-bye and slipping out the door. Remus stood confused in the hallway before shrugging to himself and heading back to bed.

Tonks closed the front door to her flat; she had Apparated a few blocks down, deciding she could use a short walk. She leaned against it and stared up at the ceiling, asking herself where that Boggart had come from. Her mind conjured images of Remus from their first meeting, the way he smiled brightly at her, how he feigned attentiveness at her first meeting, the way he hunched over the werewolf registry forms. She then thought back to her feelings the night before. There had been real fear there, as she lay in her bed thinking about Remus alone in Sirius' basement. The relief she had felt after seeing him earlier that afternoon as he slept had been nearly overwhelming. She wrapped her arms around her midsection and shuffled, shoulders hunched, off to bed. As her mind wrapped around the feelings she knew were developing, her hair flattened just slightly, the color dulling to a pale green.


	7. Chapter 7

Over the months, Tonks began spending less time at Headquarters. Her sudden and powerful awareness of her own feelings left her confused and doubtful. Each time Tonks saw Remus her stomach would tie into knots. This was a most unpleasant feeling, so she avoided it any way she could. She declined Molly's invitations to stay for dinner, claiming a massive pile of Ministry work was threatening to take over her living room. Though this might not seem like the best way to win over the one you desire, Tonks had grown very unsure of herself.

Remus was smart, mature and had seen horrors in his life that would match few others. Tonks was free-spirited, clumsy, and had joined the Auror ranks for the excitement. She listened to rock music from both muggle and wizard bands alike. Though she didn't exactly know where Remus' musical tastes happened to lie, she would venture a guess that it didn't involve punk rock or screaming hair bands. No two people in the world could be less matched for one another. And, of course, there was the age difference to think of. After doing some quick math, Tonks realized that when she was born Remus had been in his third year at Hogwarts already. Though she knew this didn't matter much to her, she knew others would talk. She also couldn't help but wonder what Remus would think of being with someone more than 10 years his junior.

And yet, despite all of these mismatched desires, Tonks found herself more and more drawn to the former professor each time they met. Her strong desires and doubts all mingled together made Order meetings rather awkward. She took to sitting beside Mad-Eye Moody each week; he tended to sit in the back of the room, away from the majority of members. During some meetings, this allowed Tonks an inconspicuous vantage point where she could watch Remus. During others, it provided a nice quiet place to hide. She found herself avoiding Remus and her cousin, Sirius, after the meetings, opting to slip out with the usual group of members who tended to decline the dinner invitation.

Though this style of living offered her the opportunity to ignore the nagging ache in her stomach that tended to accompany feelings of hopeless desire, it also left Tonks feeling incomplete. Before this startling revelation, she had lived happily drifting in and out of number 12 Grimmauld Place. She had reestablished a welcome relationship with broken family ties, made new friends and was reacquainted with old ones. She knew that, by avoiding the dingy old house she was growing disturbingly fond of, she was isolating herself from the people she cared about. The isolation was taking its toll on the usually social Auror; a fact that her cubicle neighbor, Jeremy was becoming aware of. He leaned against the entrance to Tonks' cubicle one afternoon, arms crossed, staring at the back of one of the few Aurors he could stand in the department.

"Alright, Tonks?" he asked, not bothering to mask the concern in his voice. She turned toward him, shoulders slightly hunched. Over the weeks, Jeremy had watched as Tonks' usually vibrantly colored and uniquely styled hair grew limp and dull.

"Alright, Jer." she responded with a soft smile. Jeremy glanced at her empty in-box. Tonks had thrown herself into her work, a fact that usually left her staring at the back wall of her cubicle in the afternoons, having finished all her paper work in the mornings.

"A few of us were going out for a drink after work. Think you'd like to come?" he asked. Tonks smiled at her friend and nodded.

"I'll be there." she said. Jeremy smiled brightly at her and went back to his cubicle. She remembered then that she was on watch duty that night for the Order. Dumbledore had requested that a few members of the Order guarded the item they believed Lord Voldemort was after. Tonight was Tonks' night. She glanced sideways at the magazine she had found a couple of days ago. A shiny motorcycle sat perfectly still on the front cover alongside a beautiful yet scantily clad model who showed herself off as much as the bike. Tonks scribbled a quick note on a plane white sheet of paper and left her cubicle. She walked casually down the hall and found the door she was looking for labeled "Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office" and knocked. A small, white haired wizard answered the door.

"May I help you?" he asked in a rather timid voice. Tonks smiled brightly at him.

"I was actually looking for Arthur Weasley. Is he in?" she asked unnecessarily. The office was quite small, barely big enough for two wizards to fit uncomfortably - Tonks could see Arthur clearly over the small wizard's head. Arthur waved Tonks in from his spot at his desk.

"'S'alright, Perkins." he said, getting up to greet Tonks. "What can I do you for, Ms. Tonks?" he asked cheerily. Tonks smiled at him.

"Wotcher, Arthur. I found this the other day; I thought you might be interested. It has all sorts of weird muggle odds and ends." she said, handing over the magazine. Arthur examined the front cover and then glanced up at Tonks, who winked at him. Arthur expressed his gratitude and Tonks headed back to her desk. Once Arthur was safely behind his one wall in the office, he opened the front cover and read the short note.

_Arthur,_

_I won't be able to make it to the watch tonight. Urgent Auror business has just come up. Cover for me tonight, and I'll owe you one!_

_Tonks_

_P.S. I think Padfoot would love this!_

Arthur sighed and pocketed the note before sending an owl to Molly that he wouldn't be home for dinner.

* * *

Tonks kept her plans with Jeremy that evening, and found she was having a very good time. The drinks flowed, jokes were made, and stories from Auror missions passed were swapped. Jeremy watched Tonks with a warm feeling of satisfaction. It wasn't much, but the color seemed to be returning to her skin and her hair had regained a fraction of its old flamboyancy. They continued their night in the pub well until midnight when an old owl flew in threw an open window. It landed on the nearest table it could find and then hopped via chair backs until it landed in front of Tonks. The owl stared up at Tonks with its old eyes and hooted at her softly.

"I think someone's found a friend." Jeremy joked. Tonks gave him a quick grin before untying the note on the owl's leg. The owl then collapsed on the table. "Oh my God! Waiter? Can we get some water over here?" he called to the waiter who had been serving them all night. The waiter promptly brought over a glass of water which Jeremy slowly fed to the exhausted owl he cradled in his arms. Tonks was oblivious as she stared at the words frantically scribbled on a scrap bit of parchment.

_Tonks,_

_There's been an attack. Dad's in the hospital. Harry, Ginny, Fred, George and I are back at Headquarters. Dumbledore's called an urgent meeting._

_Ron_

_P.S. Bring Errol back with you._

* * *

Tonks sat down in her usual spot beside Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody quietly as Professor Dumbledore started the meeting. She found she had trouble meeting the professor's eyes and took to staring either at her feet or at Hestia Jones' back. Dumbledore recapped the night's events, telling the Order that, thanks to one Harry Potter, Arthur would be fine. He explained the vision Harry had seen of the snake as it attacked Mr. Weasley. Tonks listened intently, knowing the pain she felt over the details of what she had, in essence, caused would serve as some small punishment. Dumbledore announced that Emmeline Vance would be taking over the watch for the rest of the evening. He pressed that everyone keeps their eyes open for suspicious activity (to which Moody grunted "constant vigilance") and called the meeting to an end. Tonks, staring at the floor stood and slid the chair aside to head for the door.

"Tonks!" someone called from behind her. She turned to see Sirius and Remus staring at her as she attempted to sneak out again. She looked up at the two men and gave them both a very half-hearted smile.

"Wotcher, boys." She said with lack luster cheer.

"Why don't you stick around for a while?" Sirius offered. Tonks felt horrible as it was and now her guilt was added to by the knowledge that she had abandoned her cousin in this old house from his unhappy youth without any form of explanation. It hadn't occurred to her how that might have affected him. She nodded and followed the two down to the kitchen. "You look like you could use a drink." Sirius said as he emerged from the pantry with a newer bottle of firewhiskey. Tonks sat down at the table and stared at the shiny, gnarled table top. There was a deep gash near the edge that she hadn't noticed before, the edges were rounded with wear and age. She vaguely wondered how it got there when Remus and Sirius sat down at the table; Sirius sitting at the end of the table on Tonks' right and Remus beside her on Tonks' left. Sirius slid a glass of firewhiskey toward her. She took it and downed the shot.

"You look like right shit, Tonks." Sirius noted as he downed his own shot. Tonks glanced up at him from the table and poured herself another drink.

"Wouldn't you if you sent a dear friend to his death?" she asked heavily. The two men became very aware that this was not her first drink of the night.

"Tonks, you couldn't have known. You had urgent business to attend to; no one blames you for that." Remus attempted to console her, placing a hand on her hunched shoulder. Tonks made a noise – it might have been a laugh, but there was no humor in the sound – and shook her head.

"Right, drinks with mates, real urgent." She admitted. The two glanced at each other before looking down at their inebriated friend. Neither commented on her confession, deciding she was reprimanding herself enough for the both of them.

"We're going to visit Arthur at St. Mungo's in the morning. Why don't you come with us?" Remus offered. Tonks glanced between Sirius and Remus, the slightest bit of confusion clear on her face. Remus sighed, setting his apologetic eyes on his old friend. "Well, by 'we' I mean the Weasley family, Harry, Hermione and myself." He amended. Tonks gave a single nod in understanding and began tilting her shot glass back and forth on the table. Remus and Sirius waited quietly as Tonks mulled over the idea in her head. Finally, deciding that she would feel worse if she didn't give Arthur her formal, in person apology, she agreed to go. The three sat around the table, mostly in silence, making a sizeable dent in the bottle's supply (mostly due to Sirius and Tonks) before Sirius decided to call it a night and wobbled up the stairs. Tonks poured herself one last drink and stared at the amber color, turning the heavy glass in the candle light. Remus watched her quietly.

"I've really mucked things up, haven't I?" Tonks asked, staring through the glass at the chair across from her. Remus raised his eyebrows and clasped his hands softly on the table, but didn't answer. He had the impression Tonks wasn't really asking him. She downed her last shot and put the glass on the table. Her chair scraped across the stone floor of the kitchen as she stood and turned toward the staircase. "See you around, Professor." She said with very little enthusiasm.

"Tonks, why don't you stay the night?" Remus asked out of the blue. Tonks spun around, nearly being tripped by her own unsteady legs, and placed her hand on the doorframe. Something inside her pulled her from her drunken stupor and she nearly smiled. "You've had a little too much to drink to Apparate, don't you think? You should stay here for the night. You can stay in your old room and we'll leave for St. Mungo's together in the morning." He offered. She nodded.

"Alright, then. I'll just be heading upstairs." She said, but as she turned, she caught her foot on the bottom step and fell forward, catching her forehead on the edge of the fifth step. Remus jumped up from the table and helped her stand up, examining the red spot on her forehead.

"Doesn't look too serious. Just a bump." He said with a soft smile, brushing his fingers very lightly across her forehead. Tonks swayed slightly on the spot, holding onto his arm for support. Remus almost laughed. "C'mon, I'll help you to your room." He offered, wrapping an arm around her back to keep her steady. In one fluid motion, Tonks turned toward him and fell against his chest just as his arm had wrapped around her back. Remus, fearing Tonks had passed out, quickly held his arm out to catch her, until he realized that she was still holding on. Suddenly, Tonks craned her neck up and kissed him. For a moment, she was certain he had kissed her back until he pulled away.

"Tonks, I can't. I'm sorry." He said softly. Tonks rested her forehead against his chest, but neither moved an inch apart. He stared down at her as her shoulders began to shake and wrapped his arms around her shoulders gently and let her cry against him.

* * *

St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries was located in an old section of London, one that used to house some of the most fashionable shops, such as Purge and Dowse, Ltd. Now the abandoned building served as the perfect hiding spot for the only all wizarding hospital in London. Tonks had been there several times before, both as a visitor and as the visited. Hospitals didn't bother her much, mostly she found them interesting. Her father had taken her to visit some muggle relatives in a hospital when she was younger and she grew to appreciate all the differences between the two lifestyles. Since she became an Auror, there had been several times when she would have to visit a witch or wizard at St. Mungo's for questioning. The floor for spell damage was always her favorite. Certain spells, she was quite sure, were conjured to entertain her alone.

On this day, as she walked to the front of the store with the rather large group of visitors around her, she would have rather stayed in bed. She was going to see the man she had personally sent to the slaughter house. She was going to have to look him in the eye and apologize and know that it should have been her in Arthur Weasley's place. Tonks barely looked around her as she followed the row of bright red heads in front of her to Arthur's room. They followed the signs pointing in the direction of the Dai Llewellyn Ward for Serious Bites. Tonks was super conscious of Remus behind her. The ward they were headed for was also home to the recently bitten werewolves, the ones who had not seen their first full moon yet.

The palm of Tonks' hand itched as she longed to reach behind her and take his hand as they moved forward. She could use his comfort right now. Though the memories were a tad fuzzy, Tonks recalled crying against Remus' chest the night before. His embrace had been what she needed. He didn't speak, he didn't try and calm her. He simply held her, though not in quite the same way she would have liked, but it was plenty good enough. Tonks longed for even a fraction of that feeling.

Tonks was suddenly aware that the group had stopped walking. They had reached, not only the correct ward, but were now standing at the foot of Arthur's bed. All Tonks could do was stare. Arthur seemed barely able to open his eyes or move at all. He was heavily bandaged in some places, others were showing signs of healing. His bed was propped up at a shallow angle, allowing him to sit as his family crowded around. Arthur gently rolled his head in Tonks and Remus' direction.

"Tonks, Remus. How good of you to come." He said in a barely audible, hoarse voice. Tonks opened her mouth to apologize, but felt a rising lump in her throat choke off the words. Just as she was about to settle with a nod, she felt a hand against her back that pushed her a few steps forward. This startled her out of her moment of self pity and she stammered on with her apology.

"Arthur, I'm so…" she paused for a moment to look behind her where Remus had urged her forward. He was glancing at a nurse tending to a man in a bed across from Arthur's. "I'm so sorry this happened, Arthur. I should have been there, not you." Once she started, Tonks found it very difficult to stop. Arthur raised his hand as best he could to silence her and the ghost of a smile spread across his lips.

"No need to apologize, Tonks. However, I think you owe me more than one now, wouldn't you agree?" he asked. Tonks let out a choked laugh and nodded, feeling her eyes beginning to sting a little. She rested her hands on Ginny's shoulders and listened to the family talk. A few moments later, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Remus leaning over her toward Arthur.

"I'm sorry I can't stay longer, Arthur. I have some business I need to attend to. Take care of yourself." He said and with that, he left the hospital.

* * *

Days passed and Tonks visited Arthur in the hospital several times before he was released. The Healers gave Arthur a good prognosis, saying he'd be back to normal in no time. She also began spending a bit more time at Headquarters. It seemed as though things were on their way to being normal again until one evening, after a meeting, something had occurred to Tonks.

"Where's Remus?" she asked Sirius. There had been a full moon several days earlier, however Remus seemed to be taking an unusually long time to recover. For a moment, it seemed as though her stomach had disappeared all together as she anticipated Sirius' answer.

"He's on assignment." He answered shortly before walking away. Tonks didn't press the topic. She knew certain assignments were more secretive than others. Something in her gut, which had only half returned, told her that Sirius knew more than he was sharing. Most assignments were open to anyone in the Order unless one person was more qualified for the task than another. Though Remus had many qualities that would put him as top choice for certain missions, Tonks couldn't help shake the worry that this had to do with his condition. She wanted details, and she knew exactly who to go to in order to get them.

One evening, after many of the Order members had left 12 Grimmauld Place, Tonks decided she was going to question her dear old cousin. This time, with a bit more persuasion. It had been months since Sirius had had any form of communication with Harry and he had been hitting the bottle heavily over the past few weeks. Tonks decided to offer him some company. Sirius was already well into his bottle of firewhiskey. His words were slurring and his equilibrium was way off balance. Normally, Tonks would have pulled the bottle away from him, claiming he'd had enough. On this night, however, she was certain he hadn't had nearly enough. A few hours and several shots later, Tonks decided he was pissed enough to start asking questions.

"So where is Remus, exactly?" she asked, trying to stifle a laugh after a particularly funny story from Sirius' days at Hogwarts. Sirius took another shot and shook his head, sighing as he swallowed.

"I'm not s'posed t'say." He slurred. Just as she had thought. Tonks nodded and adopted an innocent tone.

"Did Dumbledore tell you not to say?" she asked, tracing the rim of the shot glass in front of her. Sirius shook his head, nearly throwing himself off his chair.

"Hmm mm. Remus doesn't wan'me t'say." He continued. Tonks' eyes widened slightly. This wasn't a truly secret mission after all.

"Why wouldn't he want you to tell anyone?" she pressed. Sirius laughed.

"No' jus' anyone, coushin. He doesn't wan'me t'tell you." He pointed an unsteady finger at her. Tonks' brow furrowed as she stared at him, trying to piece the information together.

"Why wouldn't he want me to know, then?" she asked, not bothering to hide her curiosity.

"Doeshn' wan' you t'worry." He answered, pouring himself another shot. Tonks slid the bottle away from him. He gave her a faintly indignant look then adopted a rather comical look of curiosity. "Why d'you wanna know anyway?" he asked. Tonks just shook her head.

"Curiosity is all. Why doesn't he want me to know?" she asked again. Sirius shook his head.

"Huh uh…No' jus' curiosity, is it, cuz? You _love_ my frien' Mmm…Moony, don't you?" he struggled to get out. Tonks sat back in her chair and stared wide eyed at him. Deciding he wouldn't remember this in the morning, she continued to press without answering his question.

"Why, Sirius?" she asked. Sirius hiccupped.

"He doesn't wan't you t'worry." He repeated as his eyes unfocused and he stared off into nowhere. None of this seemed to be making sense. Tonks was beginning to wonder if he was too drunk to give her actual information.

"Why would I worry?" she asked. Sirius rested his bleary gaze on her for a moment, but didn't answer. "Sirius, please tell me. Why did he think I would worry?" Sirius swayed in his seat. "Does the mission have to do with him being a werewolf?" she asked. Sirius seemed to sober up a bit at the question and finally locked his gaze on her.

"I migh' have tol' him 'bout your Boggart." He admitted. Finally the truth was out. Remus' mission was about him being a werewolf. And he had asked Sirius to not tell her specifically. She stood and headed up to one of the many drawing rooms in the house and sat down on a near by couch. Her mind was reeling. She thought back to the night of Arthur's attack. She had kissed him. It was short lived and bitter sweet, but she could still feel his lips against hers. Now he was gone, maybe miles away, doing something that Tonks knew in her heart was dangerous. Tonks curled up on the couch and fell asleep there, dreaming about Remus. Dead and alive.


	8. Chapter 8

Spending several months amongst his fellow werewolves gave Remus a whole new appreciation for those around him. Had he truly taken his friends for granted? He met few of his kind in his travels that knew the warmth of a kind word or a helping hand. One man, the first werewolf he spoke to, served as Remus' motivation through his mission.

The man the nurse had been tending to in Arthur's ward had been bitten only 2 weeks before. Remus remembered the ill feeling that accompanied his bite. The feverish ache was present on the man's moist forehead. He was bitter, as he had every right to be. Not a single friend had visited him since the attack. The corners of Remus' mouth turned down as he remembered how little the man cared for his words of encouragement. His mission was to inspire his kind to fight for Dumbledore, for their freedom.

Albus had impressed upon Remus how the werewolf community would serve as a strong ally for their cause. Like the giants, which Hagrid had visited several months earlier, the werewolves were notorious for siding with the dark arts. Remus eagerly accepted the assignment, as much to aid in the fight against Lord Voldemort as to help change the werewolf public image. A historical battle in which a sizeable number of werewolves fought for the side of good could only help their situation.

So far, however, he found few of his kind that were willing to side with Dumbledore; too bitter and isolated to care the outcome of such a war. Each new colony he went to, he learned how unwelcome his offer was.

"Why fight a loosing battle, Lupin?"

"With Lord Voldemort, we'll be free!"

Every day Remus was met with more and more refusals and his spirit began to dampen. For several days he was only angry with his kind. How they could be so sure that Voldemort was the key to fixing the werewolf persecution was mind boggling to him. He couldn't make them understand that a life under Voldemort was a life of constant fear of death. He pressed on, roaming the ignored and unwanted sections of Muggle cities, where the highest concentration of werewolves seemed to hide. Unfortunately, he found that he stuck out like a sore thumb.

His hair wasn't spiked nearly enough. His clothes, though shabby, would have suited him better had he not tried to patch the holes. He caught his reflection in a shop window and wished that Tonks was with him – he convinced himself that she would give him some street cred. That desire only grew as his hopes were further dashed by the werewolves. When he wasn't trying to recruit, he took to sitting in pubs, watching the people around him, waiting to see the signs of a candidate. He spent hours there, eyes locking on anyone with pink hair. He grinned anytime he saw someone wearing a Weird Sisters t-shirt.

Finally, Remus arrived at his final hope for some allies. It was a small colony outside of Galway. If these men and women turned him down, he'd have to return to the Order empty handed; feeling a failure.

"You lost, Grampa?" asked a rough male voice from behind him. Remus furrowed his brow as he turned, inconspicuously drawing his wand and hiding it behind him. The man in question was twirling his wand between his fingers like a drummer twirls his drumsticks. He had a sly grin and was wearing old jeans and a leather jacket. Remus let his wand arm drop to his side.

"As a matter of fact, I'm looking for someone called Cael." He asked confidently. The man in front of him, who couldn't have been more than 20, took a few steps forward; shoulders back, chest raised.

"What you want with him, old man?" he asked. Remus bit his tongue at the second jab at his appearance.

"I have some business with him. Albus Dumbledore sent me." This seemed to impress the young man, if only slightly. He threw his head back and eyed Remus suspiciously.

"Only one type of person wants business with Cael. Let me see your mark, old man." Remus scowled at the menace questioning him as he slid up the left sleeve of his robe to reveal a scar that stood out amongst the others on his skin. This scar was the perfect impression of two rows of teeth. They still shone bright red as if they had been made earlier that morning. The veins that ran through that portion of his upper arm stood out like dark purple roots spreading out beneath his skin.

"Satisfied?" he asked with a burning acidity. The man smirked and turned and headed into the patch of forest he had emerged from. Remus took that as his cue to follow and let his sleeve drop down as he proceeded into the forest, wand still held fast.

"Mr. Cael, there's a man here for you. He checks out alright." The young man said as he led Remus into what must have been the nest of their colony. Being in the heart of the forest, the camp didn't need to be particularly hidden. The makeshift beds and open campfire reminded Remus of the way Muggle gypsies lived. A tall man, older than Remus, stood from his bed where he lay with a woman, much younger than he, and strode toward Remus. His face was scarred and disfigured and his nose appeared to have been broken several times and was never set right. He had a broad chest and looked as though he could have been wearing Quidditch padding under his torn robes. Remus cleared his throat and held out his hand.

"My name is Remus Lupin. Albus Dumbledore sent me to have a few words with you." Cael sized Remus up and, deciding he was alright, shook his hand. The man's firm grip matched his size. Cael led Remus to the most private area of the camp – if you could call it private – where Remus began to argue his case.

Cael listened to everything Remus had to say. He nodded at points he seemed to agree with and rested his chin in his hand thoughtfully at others. Remus came to the end of his pitch, which he threw at Cael with far more enthusiasm than he had with any of his other attempts. This was his last hope. When he finished, there were several moments of silence in which Cael appeared to be mulling Remus' pitch over. Finally, Cael spoke, "Got a woman in your life, Lupin?" he asked. Remus was taken aback by the wildly off topic question, as well as by the image of Tonks that flashed through his mind. Before Remus was able to answer, Cael continued. "I had one, before I was bitten. We were going to be married. She stuck by me through my first transformation." A darkness crossed Cael's face as he remembered. "She didn't live to see the next morning. Ever since then, I vowed that I would stick to my kind. I would surround myself with men and women that wouldn't judge me, who I could do little harm to in my animal state. Tell me, Remus," he paused as he thought, "Why should I break my own promise to help Dumbledore in this useless battle?" Remus felt his heart sink.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, Cael. However, Dumbledore is different. His allies are different. He allowed me, a young werewolf, into his school - an unprecedented move. The fight isn't useless, Cael. If you help us fight, not only would it strengthen our numbers, but everyone in the wizarding world will see that werewolves are not the terrors society believes us to be. Help us fight and be a part of that." Remus begged. Cael sighed as he thought again and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Remus. I can't risk doing harm to any witch or wizard. Keep fighting the good fight, though." Cael said as he stood and returned to his nook where the young woman draped herself across his torso. Remus watched them for a moment. She was small looking, delicate. However, the deep gash along her left cheek stood out in sharp contrast to her frail appearance. He knew that once a month, this young woman was not as breakable as she appeared. With a heavy heart and more things to think about than he had started with, Remus set out on his journey home where he knew a very different kind of woman was waiting to greet him.

* * *

Tonks had grown rather apathetic to the cause. It had been months since anyone had heard a word from Remus. She was sure Dumbledore had sent him to his death. When she thought of what those vicious monsters must have done – but no; Remus was one of them. She refused to live her life prejudiced against his kind. To hate them would be to hate Remus as well. All the same, Tonks couldn't fathom what would be taking him this long. Molly Weasley told her time and again that Tonks was being impatient. Remus had to travel all across the country and into Ireland. There were hundreds upon hundreds of colonies to visit. This wasn't a day trip, Molly would tell her.

None the less, Tonks wanted Remus home. It wasn't until nearly three months after Remus had left that Tonks finally got her wish.

During Order meetings, Tonks had taken to sitting at the back, arms crossed, reciting her favorites from the Weird Sisters in her head. What was the point in listening? There was no news from Remus, there never was. She had just finished tapping her foot to the chorus of _You Tore the Heart-Strings Right Out of My Wand_ – and ignored the 100th grunt of disapproval from Mad-Eye – when a few words from her former headmaster caught her attention.

"And, finally, the last bit of news. As you all know, our good friend Remus Lupin has been away these last few months, on assignment. I have received word from him that he will be returning to us from his long travels. That's all I have for tonight's meeting, I wish you all well." Albus signed off and the Order members moved to exit the dingy old dining room. Tonks jumped up from her seat and pushed against the flow of the crowd until she finally reached Dumbledore, who was just saying his goodbyes to Kingsley Shacklebolt, and tapped his shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir, but did Remus happen to say when he'd be returning?" Tonks asked, trying to mask her excitement with casual interest. Albus, of course, could see through most disguises and smiled knowingly at his former student.

"I'm afraid he didn't give an exact time frame. Don't worry, Nymphadora, he will return in due time. Will you be staying for dinner?" he asked. Tonks grinned slightly and shook her head. She never once called Dumbledore out on his use of her first name. He had once told her that he took pride in being able to call her Nymphadora, and therefore used it as often as he could.

"No, I can't stay tonight. Tons of paperwork, you know." She answered. Dumbledore nodded.

"Ah, yes, an Auror's work is never done. It's a shame; I heard Molly has prepared her homemade strawberry ice cream. I don't eat strawberry ice cream, myself. Last time I tried the desert, it turned out to be blood flavored ice cream. I should have known, of course, as it was a vampire who served me." Albus finished his story to a chuckle from Tonks. He smiled cheerily back at her and with a small bow of his head, left Headquarters.

* * *

Several days passed, and still no sign of Remus. What could be taking him so long, Tonks asked herself. She found that the nights were becoming increasingly difficult to remember. This was likely due to the nights spent with Sirius up in Buckbeak's attack room, passing a bottle of mead - left at the house by Hagrid - for hours. The routine was broken one night when a noise brought the two out of a drunken rendition of "You Stole My Cauldron but You Can't Have my Heart."

The two crept down the stairs, peering over the railing to see that the front hall was empty. Walburga's painting lay silent and dormant behind the moth eaten curtain. Tonks gripped the railing as they continued down the stairs. Upon reaching the kitchen, the two saw a shadowy figure hunched over by the counter. It was dark and all that could be seen was the outline of the tall, thin person. Sirius drew his wand and aimed it at the intruder. Tonks shifted her weight to gain better balance on the step. The board she stood on let out a strained groan, which caught the mysterious being's attention. As he turned, Sirius noticed a long thin extension protruding from the person's hand; a wand. Without a second thought, Sirius yelled out "Expelliarmus!" and the wand flew across the room and landed with a soft clatter on the ground and slid underneath the pantry.

"Honestly, Sirius, was that necessary?" The mystery guest asked in a very familiar and all too welcome voice. Sirius flipped on the lights and revealed an exhausted looking Remus standing beside the counter, a small tin container of tea bags behind him. Sirius, without even beginning an apology, smiled from ear to ear.

"Welcome home, Moony!" he cried, throwing his arms out, forgetting an unsteady Tonks stood behind him. She threw her hands up to catch his arm that threatened to clobber her face. Sirius moved into the kitchen and caught his friend in a tight embrace, which Remus returned. Tonks remained on the stairs, smiling at the two – mostly Remus – her back against the wall and one foot hanging off the bottom step. The two old friends broke their hug and Remus rested his eyes on the person he now realized he had missed the most.

"Wotcher, Professor." Tonks said as the two smiled at each other. She let her foot fall to the floor and made to casually move to give Remus a friendly hug. However, as most attempts at skill and grace failed Tonks, she promptly caught her foot on a chair leg and toppled forward right into Remus' arms. Remus laughed.

"Lovely to see you too, Tonks." Tonks blushed and tried to stand up, but wobbled on the spot a bit as she looked up him. Remus' brow furrowed slightly. "Have you been drinking?" he asked. Tonks felt a twinge of shame creep over her and shook her head.

"'Course not." She said, however a small hiccup that emitted the odor of strong liquor gave her away. Remus eyed Sirius accusingly. Sirius, however, was too far gone to notice and just smiled impishly at his friend. After a few silent and awkward moments, Sirius cleared his throat.

"You know, I think we left the mead up in Buckbeak's room. I should go and get it. Drunken Hippogriffs - never good for a laugh." And with that, the dark haired fugitive slipped upstairs, leaving Tonks and Remus alone in the kitchen. Remus gently guided Tonks to a chair where he sat her down a d moved back to the counter for a few moments before returning with two cups of weak tea.

"When Dumbledore said you'd be coming home, I expected you sooner than this." Tonks said. Remus sat down beside her and sipped his tea, adding another lump of sugar.

"To tell the truth, I've been back for several days now." He answered apologetically. Tonks glanced up at him.

"Where were you?" she asked as her stomach tightened and her heart picked up a small pace.

"The Leaky Cauldron, of all places. I had a few things to sort out before I returned to Headquarters so Tom the innkeeper was kind enough to put me up for a few days. He told me any friend of Professor Dumbledore is a friend of his." He explained. Tonks stared at him. The bleariness had left her eyes and she now felt sober.

"Was it hard, living with the werewolves for so long?" she asked. Remus looked sideways at her.

"When did you find out?" he asked. Tonks sighed and looked down at the table.

"A little while after you left. Sirius told me." She noticed a change in his expression that clearly stated Sirius was in for it. "Don't blame him, Remus, I made him tell me. Turns out Sirius isn't the best secret keeper." She added with a trace amount of humor. Remus turned to look at her fully. When he didn't say anything, Tonks continued, "After all…he told you about my boggart." She said quietly. Remus locked his eyes in hers, turning things over in his mind. Before Remus could stifle what he knew was surely coming, Tonks blurted out in the softest and most sincere voice she could, "I missed you." Remus closed his eyes and turned his head away, letting out a low sigh. After a few moments of agonizing silence, Remus finally answered,

"I missed you too, Tonks." There was a definite trace of reluctance in his voice. Tonks, however, didn't pick up on it and brightened at the words she had hoped she'd hear. "But it doesn't mean anything." He continued, deciding it was better to nip any feelings she harbored for him in the bud before they got worse. Tonks' face dropped.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Remus turned to look at her. His face was stern and serious. He looked like the angry professor scolding his student. Tonks refused to look away.

"I can't be with you, Tonks. I knew that before I left and I know it even more now." His mind momentarily flashed back to his meeting with Cael in Ireland. "I'm dangerous, Tonks. I couldn't stand it if I brought any harm to you. You have to understand that." He instantly knew that she didn't understand.

"Dangerous? Remus, you wouldn't hurt a flee unless you were provoked!" she argued. Remus sighed.

"Most days that might be true. But once a month, I'm not myself. There isn't a trace of me left. I couldn't live with myself if I knew that I'd hurt you in that state." His features softened as he imagined the heartache Cael must have felt the morning after his wife had died. When he could see Tonks was beginning to argue again, he stopped her. "I'm not willing to bend on this, Tonks. I'm dangerous and I can't put you at risk." Remus' brow knitted together as he watched Tonks rub her face on her hands, pushing them thru her hair.

"I can't believe this." She said as she looked up at him. "You're prejudiced against yourself!" she exclaimed. This was not what Remus had been expecting. He sat back, eyebrows high up on his forehead.

"Beg pardon?" he asked. Tonks nodded.

"It's the truth. You hate those registry forms. You hate anyone who won't hire you because of what you are. You write off anyone who won't accept you. And yet, here you are telling me to bugger off because you think you're dangerous! What makes you so different from every other blighter who turned you down because you were _dangerous_?" She was nearly shouting now. Remus slammed his fist on the table, which made Tonks jump.

"Yes, Tonks, I'm denying myself something I want because of what I am. Maybe I am just as bad as the rest. The difference being, I'm telling _myself_ to bugger off to keep you safe! I care about you far too much to see you get hurt, especially at my own hands!" Tonks stared hard at Remus. She looked into his eyes, trying to find some weak spot, something he had overlooked. However, what she found there made her bite back every argument she had. His eyes were begging, pleading with her. He really believed he was dangerous. A loud grinding sounded from the feet of Tonks' chair as she stood up to leave. She paused by Remus and placed a hand on his shoulder, which he held on to, not meeting her eyes.

"I think you're making a mistake, but I'm not about to make you do something you'll regret. If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me. Goodnight, Professor." And with that, she slipped her hand out of his grasp and left Remus alone to second guess himself for the rest of the night.


	9. Chapter 9

The stern faced members of the Wizengamot stared down at the short, scraggly man below them. It wasn't the first time this deviant had graced their courtroom, however the elders were determined to make it the last. Mundungus Fletcher had stolen his last set of cauldrons; broken into his last home; read his last bit of discarded Ministry information.

"Mundungus Fletcher is hereby accused of three counts of burglary, one count of apparating under the influence, and four counts of the possession of stolen goods. How does the accused plea?" Asked the Chief Warlock, whose face was mostly hidden behind shadow from Dung's vantage. He twirled his tattered old Newsboy cap in his hands as he stared up at the judge and jury.

"Not guilty, o'course!" Wrong answer.

"Mr. Fletcher! You have found yourself under our scrutiny many times in your life. Fortunately for you, you have been able to provide the members of the Wizengamot useful information that has lead to the capture and arrest of several witches and wizards under He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Unfortunately, you no longer have any information to give us. As a result, the Wizengamot finds the accused guilty on all charges. The sentence: 10 years in Azkaban." Decreed an Elder over Dung's shouts of,

"WAIT!" he shouted, holding his hand out. His eyes darted around the room until he finally made up his mind. There was one piece of information the Wizengamot would pay him for. "What if," he paused, making sure this was what he wanted to do. "What if I could give you Sirius Black?" he offered. The Chief Warlock leaned over his podium, eyeing Dung with suspicion.

"You would have such information, would you?" He asked. Mundungus cracked a yellowed grin and laughed a slow chuckle tainted with the stench of stale tobacco and alcohol. His freedom was only one man away.

* * *

Tonks was called into her supervisor, Rufus Scrimgeour's, office. Finally, she thought, some action! Ever since her unpleasant talk with Remus two weeks ago, Tonks had been antsy and looking for a way to release some pent up energy.

She continued attending Order meetings as usual, though the missions were becoming less and less intriguing. Most of her nights were spent with Sirius, passing a new bottle of liquor each night. Remus was present in the house most of these nights, though he never joined the two. Perhaps he was too ashamed, Tonks wondered. Perhaps he disapproved of her behavior. Whatever the case, it didn't matter much. He hadn't budged on his argument and she knew he wasn't going to. Tonks needed some action, some danger, anything to relieve her of the frustration, anger, and hurt she felt toward her Professor.

So, with wide eyes and determination, she entered Scrimgeour's office along with several of her fellow Aurors, including Jeremy, to receive their new assignment. Tonks looked around the room and noticed Kingsley Shacklebolt sitting several seats down. Tonks wondered why he had been called in. The last she knew, Kingsley was working strictly on Sirius' case. She set her curiosity aside as Scrimgeour began.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a hit. There is a new lead on Sirius Black." Tonks' eyes widened and her throat seized. Jeremy glanced sideways at her as she began coughing into her fist. Scrimgeour ignored the fit and continued talking over the young Auror as if she weren't there. "We will find him at the address of 12 Grimmauld Place, London; this is where he was last seen. We will be arresting the assailant this evening. I want you all ready in no more than ten minutes time." Tonks had recovered from her fit and stood with the rest of the Aurors. She had to warn Sirius.

But how? Tonks paced her cubicle, biting her thumbnail as she ran through the possible ways of contacting her cousin. An owl? The nearest owls were in the Ministry post office, on the other side of the building, four floors down. Phone? What was she thinking, Sirius didn't own a phone! Nor did the Ministry, now that she thought about it. Enchanted memo? Tonks kicked herself inwardly at that stupid idea. Flu powder? Yes! That was it! There were plenty of fireplaces at both Grimmauld Place and the Ministry! All she had to do was find an empty room…her thoughts trailed at that requirement. Then she remembered.

Several Order meetings ago, Dumbledore had begun teaching everyone how to use their Patronus as a means of contacting one another. Tonks hadn't quite mastered it yet; her messages still sounded like her Patronus were talking through glass. She had to try. Climbing up onto her desk, Tonks attempted to open the small window there. She heaved and huffed and shoved, but the window wouldn't budge. After giving her hands horrible sores, she remembered that the windows weren't real and she was nearly 15 feet below ground.

All Tonks could hope, as the team of Aurors mounted their brooms and left for Grimmauld Place, was that Scrimgeour would bust down the front door, waking Walburga, and alerting Sirius to their arrival. When they arrived at the spot the house was supposed to reside, Tonks was relieved to find that it was safely hidden, as always, between numbers 11 and 13. There were a few murmurs of confusion from the other Aurors when Scrimgeour stepped forward and dashed all of Tonks' hopes. With a smooth wave of his wand, numbers 11 and 13 jumped aside and 12 Grimmauld Place emerged before them like a giant inflatable balloon.

The house seemed different to Tonks. She was entering as an Auror with a group of men and women who should not have known of the house's existence. How could this have happened? Who told? Foiling the last of Tonks' hopes, Scrimgeour ordered the group enter the house with the element of surprise, and was therefore quiet. Walburga's painting lay dormant, unaware of the large group of witches and wizards in her front hall. Scrimgeour motioned for the group to split up into pairs and trios to search the large home. Tonks wished she had been paired off with Kingsley. However, she climbed the stairs with Jeremy and Scrimgeour. Kingsley was paired with a short, burly witch named Helga and heading for the basement kitchen.

The three were just about to ascend their second flight of stairs, after searching every room on the second floor – to Tonks relief, finding them all empty – when someone blocked their way at the top of the staircase.

"Do we have visitors?" It was Remus. He looked tired and was carrying an empty cup of tea in one hand and a plate with a knife laying across it in the other, a book was tucked under his arm which Tonks recognized as his battered copy of _Quidditch Teams of South East Asia_. She tried to communicate with him through her eyes what was going on, but was distracted when Scrimgeour boomed out,

"Remus John Lupin, you are under arrest under the suspicion of aiding and harboring a wanted criminal!" Tonks nearly gave herself whiplash as her head spun around to look at her supervisor.

"I'm sorry?" Remus asked. Tonks' head snapped forward again at the sound of crashing china as Jeremy hit Remus with an _Incarcerus_ spell. Remus' arms were locked to his sides by thick ropes, causing him to drop his tea cup and plate. "What is the meaning of this?" Remus shouted, locking eyes with Tonks who shrank back behind Jeremy.

* * *

Sirius, who had been spending the afternoon with Buckbeak, had heard the commotion downstairs and crept to the railing to get a closer look. Below he saw three Auror's, wands pointed at Remus' head. Several more Auror's had heard the commotion and were rushing up to the scene. The eldest Auror's voice soared up the tall staircase and met with Sirius' ears. "We have reason to believe that you have been harboring known criminal Sirius Black for months." Sirius' eyes widened. He had to act and fast.

* * *

Tonks was fidgeting behind Jeremy, trying desperately to find a way out of this mess. They weren't here to arrest Sirius. No, they were here to arrest Remus. Her Remus. This was worse, far worse, than what she had expected. Suddenly, she heard the sound of pounding footsteps coming down the stairs above. The feet hit the floor Remus was on and from around the corner came a large, snarling black dog. Without pausing to assess his quarry, Sirius leapt off the top step, tackling Scrimgeour in the chest and knocking him down several steps.

"Someone get this bloody beast off me!" Scrimgeour shouted. Tonks couldn't move; part of her wanted Sirius to tear him to shreds. Jeremy shoved past her and ran down the stairs, yanking the large dog off Scrimgeour's chest by the scruff of his neck. Sirius flung his head around, attempting to grab at Jeremy's wrist.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" shouted Helga in her gruff voice. Sirius' head snapped forward, his front and back legs snapping together. Jeremy set the dog on the ground. Tonks took the opportunity to run up the stairs and act as though she were going to lead Remus out of the house. When she reached him and grabbed hold of the ropes, she leaned in and whispered,

"I don't know what this is all about, but I swear I'll get you out of this." And lead him down the stairs.

* * *

"I haven't seen Sirius Black in nearly 15 years."

"Yes, I've been a werewolf most of my life."

"Yes, I know You-Know-Who recruits werewolves."

"No, I can't afford my own place at the moment."

"Didn't I answer these questions when Sirius was first arrested?"

"I had visited Sirius' home several times as a child and knew the address. No one had to tell me."

Remus answered any question the Aurors threw at him. The Auror questioning Remus – one of Kingsley's team – left for a break, leaving Remus alone in the interrogation room. He slumped back in the chair and folded his arms across his chest. His eyelids were growing heavier by the minute. Only two days before the next full moon. Part of him knew he'd be spending it in a prison cell in Azkaban. The other part hoped that Tonks and Kingsley would find a way for him to be released before it came to that.

He sighed heavily and looked up at Tonks who had been standing silently in her corner through the entire interrogation. Her eyes were filled with a horrible, bitter sadness that Remus hated to see in her. He cleared his throat. The awkward silence was killing him. "So, how does this work? Are we being listened to?" he asked casually. Tonks nodded.

"Yes, it's a security measure. The other Auror's can be alerted in case you become too violent." Remus was glad to hear a trace amount of humor in her voice. She cocked her eyebrow slightly at the last word. Remus allowed her a half grin and stared at her in silence. As the seconds ticked passed he saw the sadness return. She mouthed to him a silent "I'm sorry." Remus shook his head slowly. They were interrupted, however, as the interrogating Auror returned through the single door behind Remus. Tonks' gaze hardened into indifference and she stood a little straighter, taking on the appearance of an entirely professional Auror. Perhaps it was the Metamorphmagus in her, but Remus couldn't help but be impressed with her acting skills.

"I get the feeling you won't budge." The interrogator asked. Remus shook his head.

"Nothing to budge on, I'm afraid. I've told you everything I know. If someone's told you otherwise, they've given you false information." Remus said coolly. The Auror smirked.

"I'm afraid you give me no choice but to hold you for further questioning. Means Azkaban, that. Sure you don't want to talk?" he asked. Remus shook his head.

"I'll be happy to stay as long as you like." He said casually. He glanced back at Tonks who looked near tears. Sirius had handled Azkaban for 13 years; surely he could handle a single night. Two Aurors came in through the door and seized Remus by the arms, leading him out of the interrogation room. As the three men left, the interrogator moved to stand beside Tonks with, a smirk that made her want to hex his mouth straight off played across his lips.

"Poor bloke thinks it's just one night. We're to leave him there for a few months. Scrimgeour reckons a few transformations with the Dementors ought to loosen his tongue a bit." He said with a small chuckle before leaving Tonks alone in the interrogation room.

"I have to get out of here." She said aloud, her voice cracking. Ditching the paper work she had for the arrest, Tonks apparated to the Burrow, needing a little motherly love from Molly. When she arrived, however, she found that she wasn't the only one who wanted to visit the Weasley family. She quietly stepped into the Weasley family room that appeared to be far too small for such a large group. Dumbledore was at the head of the group, trying to calm the crowd.

"QUIET!" he shouted. The group fell silent and turned their attention toward Albus. "That's better. Molly, Arthur, I thank you whole heartedly for lending us your home in these hard times. It is, as of yet, unclear how the Ministry was informed of Grimmauld Place. Sirius will remain there for the time being until we can find a safe means of transport." Dumbledore was cut off by Hagrid, who boomed out,

"Is it true Remus has bin arrested?" The rest of the group shouted their equal curiosity. Albus nodded sadly.

"I'm afraid that's correct." Albus recapped what he knew of the night's events. Tonks didn't want to relive it. She leaned back against the wall and folded her arms and scanned the group. Her eyes rested on a short man on the opposite wall, looking very nervous and as though he wanted to appear invisible. However, most people who want to appear invisible tend to stand out in a crowd. That is precisely what Mundungus Fletcher was doing. Tonks tried as hard as she could to slip unnoticed to Mundungus' side. She managed to make it there only tripping over her feet once or twice.

"Wotcher, Dung." She greeted him. Mundungus nodded in her direction, but didn't speak. "Alright?" she asked. Dung gave a twitchy sort of nod. He was staring so hard at Dumbledore, one might have thought he was attempting to see straight through him. "You wouldn't have had something to do with this, would you?" she asked quietly. Dung shook his head and looked up at her for the first time.

"'Course not, Tonks! Turn in an Order member, never!" he answered. Tonks nodded.

"No, no, course you wouldn't." she paused for a moment then whispered to him, "Office rumor is that you were arrested again. What was it this time? Cauldrons? Quills?" she asked. Dung shook his head.

"Harvest o' dragon eggs." He replied. Tonks sucked in a sharp breath.

"Ouch. An' how is it you're not rotting away in a cell?" she asked. She finally seemed to crack him. Guilt's a funny thing when it's poked and prodded.

"I might'a' sold em some information," He replied in a quiet voice. "About Sirius." He finally admitted. Tonks spun around on him.

"LIES! You handed them Remus, didn't you?" she shouted, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"I'm sorry, Tonks! They was going to put me away for 12 years! I had to do something!" he whimpered, shrinking at the towering Auror who was brandishing her wand at him.

"Then go to jail! You deserve it you stinking thief!" she shouted. Mundungus raised his hands in an attempt to calm her.

"Now, Tonks, let's not be rash. Remus was harboring a criminal after all." Wrong answer. Tonks would have cursed Mundungus to the next century if she hadn't been restrained by Kingsley and Mad-Eye. With her arms restrained, all Tonks was left to do was kick. She pushed back against the men holding her at bay and kicked out with her left foot, catching Mundungus square in the nose as she shouted,

"They're leaving him there! Three months! Do you realize what that means? Three months, three full moons! In Azkaban!" she shouted. The tears she had no choice but to hold back before flowed freely down her cheeks now. Mundungus held his nose tenderly as blood dripped through his fingers. Dumbledore rushed over and with a swish of his wand, Tonks was silent. Mad-Eye struggled against Tonks' kicks and frantic clawing at his arms to get her to another room as Molly tended Dung's nose. Dumbledore locked the door before Alastor released Tonks from his grip. She fell limp into a chair, crushed and spent from her outburst. She looked up in Dumbledore's eyes pleadingly, her own eyes swimming in tears. "We have to get him out."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you to everyone who have given me such great reviews! I know for the majority of the story I had been writing to J.K.'s original plot. As I picked up writing again, I realized that it wasn't working for the story. Therefore, from now on I will be venturing away from canon slightly for the sake of the story. I hope everyone continues to read and enjoy my changes to the plot. Thank you again to my loyal readers and reviewers!

* * *

The setting sun shone through the single window, casting a pinkish shadow of the bars across the floor; just a few more hours now. Remus sat in a corner against the windowed wall, keeping away from the small patch of light. He rested his arm across his bent knees, resting his head in his other hand. The moisture from his forehead ran in small beads down his nose and along the sides of his face. A feverish ache radiated through his entire body. For several hours now, Remus had been muttering nonsense to himself, every so often cursing Dementors for existing. One person, one woman, remained in the periphery of his convoluted thoughts as his eternal curse slowly took over.

Then, suddenly, like the guardian angel, there she was; just beyond the door to his cell stood that very woman. Her hair stood out as brilliantly as the sunset on his floor. He blinked back the sweat from his eyes, blurring his vision. When he opened them, she was in his cell, kneeling down in front of him.

"I'm going to get you out." Her whisper bounced between the walls, hitting his ears several times, causing his eyes to slip closed just slightly.

"Can't….hurt…you…" he muttered, though the words were lost in his dry mouth. Tonks edged closer to him.

"I'm going to get you out." She whispered again. Remus tried to shake his head, but only managed a few centimeters to one side.

"Moon…" was all he managed to get out.

"I'm going to get you out." Tonks repeated for a third time. Only, this time her words were drawn out, blurred together and almost indecipherable from one another. She was only inches from his bent knees, reaching a steady, glowing hand toward him when Remus' worst nightmares came true. Her perfect, milky white arm split open from elbow to fingers, exposing the deep red, glistening flesh beneath her skin. Just as her blood began to spill over her robes, Remus shut his eyes against the sight. He was shaking now. When he opened them, she was gone. His eyes wandered to the floor where he knew should have been a puddle of red liquid, but that was gone too. He closed his eyes tight, telling himself that it wasn't real, just a hallucination.

"I'm going to get you out." said the angelic whisper again. Remus' eyes shot open, staring straight ahead of him. "I'm going to get you out." She whispered to him again. Remus turned his stiff and aching neck slowly to the right, where she crouched beside him.

"Tonks…leave…" he croaked out. Tonks' lips turned up in a soft smile. Her heart shaped face glowed a wonderful orange that filled her eyes with life. Remus moved a heavy hand toward her, wanting to feel her warmth against his icy skin. He stared into her eyes until a dark stream caught his attention, running slowly down her face.

"Come with me." She whispered, the stream of blood breaking as her lips parted. The single stream was soon joined by several others. Remus opened his mouth to let out a scream, but his dry and aching throat only allowed a hoarse moan. He turned his head away from it, trying feebly to convince himself that it wasn't real. When he turned back, she was gone.

The sun had almost set completely. Remus could already feel his insides ready to change. She'd be coming back, he knew. She'd be there when he changed. What if he hurt her? What if he couldn't save her? Stop himself? He shook his throbbing head slowly, resting his forehead against his knees. His insides churned and knotted and he could feel his spine begin to lengthen and curve. This was it; soon he would no longer be himself. If Tonks returned, surely he would kill her. A terrible pain in his legs made him lunge forward on his hands and knees, a small puddle of moisture beneath his head rippling in time with his heavy breath.

"I'm going to get you out." Repeated the most beautiful yet loathsome sound. She must leave! Remus tried to tell her, but the virus had gripped his lungs and was holding them tight.

"Don't be afraid." She whispered. He looked up at her, wanting to obey, wanting to leave with her. But he knew. Remus knew there was no escape, not from this. This was his eternity. A fearsome and agonizing growl erupted from his chest. From somewhere far off, Remus could hear screams and cackling from the other tormented prisoners of Azkaban. Would he kill them too?

"Remus." Tonks whispered. He looked at her once again. She was holding out her hand for him to take. Remus pulled his arm back, revolted and frightened by the shrunken nubs that used to be his fingers, but were now the beginnings of a paw. Get out! He wanted to shout, but his lungs would allow no more than another fierce growl.

As he stared at her, again and again attempting to tell her to leave, endless gouges seemed to wrap her body from head to foot. She stood, her arm outstretched, her mouth split open wide, and one eye forced shut by a horrific gash. She crumpled to the ground before him, lying in the shadow caused by the rising moon. Remus leapt for her, the last bit of his human mind wanting to help her, the beginnings of the wolf tantalized by the scent of her freshly spilt blood. As he reached her pool of moonlight, Remus was gone and so was Tonks. The screams and cackling laughter of the other inmates of Azkaban could be heard through out the prison mingled with a mournful howl.


End file.
